The Heart of a Hunter
by RhiannonWolf
Summary: Meet Rhia, a young 15 year-old girl with a firey temper and personality. What happens when she meets the cast of HxH? Drama, Comedy, Romance, and complete Chaos!
1. Rhia

Hello! This is my first fanfic, so no flames please!

I do not own any of the characters except for the ones that don't belong in the real storyline. I own only my fancharacter.

Chapter 1: Rhia

THIRD PERSON P.O.V

The sun beat down upon the busy market place on Whale Island. People from all over were there, going about their buisiness, but there was one young girl in particular. Her long dark blonde hair was made up into one neat braid that reached her waist. Her eyes were deep sapphire blue and at her waist was a sacbbard and sword. Around her neck was a black cord, and whatever was on the end was hidden beneath her shirt. Over her shoulder was a dark green sling pack. She looked around nervously. She obviously didn't like being in crowds.

This girl's name was Rhia Wolf.

She was headed for a specific ship, one that would take her to the Hunter Exam. Despite the fact that Rhia didn't _really _know what a Hunter was, she was determined to be one. She had heard about the dangers that came with taking the Exam, and how many people died, but she didn't care. She wasn't positive that she'd pass, she just knew that if something happened to her, no one would cry about it. Rhia didn't have any family or friends, and usually kept to herself. But she was always looking for a challenge, and this was the perfect one.

As she was walking by an outdoor restaurant, she heard a commotion.

'_What's going on?' _she thought, pausing. Then, something suddenly flew past her head, and embedded itself into a wooden support beam. Rhia looked at the object.

A fork.

She whirled around, searching for the culprit, failing to notice the large brown spider hanging limply from the fork.

'_Who the heck had the audacity to throw a fork at my head?'_

Then Rhia spotted him. A boy about her age with blonde hair and a blue poncho-like-thing was sitting not far from where she stood. Rhia marched over, hands balled into angry fists at her sides.

"Hey Blondie!" she said angrily. He looked up with deep emerald green eyes.

"Are you adressing me?" he asked.

"Yes I am!" Rhia said. "Don't you know it's rude to throw things?"

"Don't you know it's rude to yell?" he countered.

An A.A.S sign appeared on Rhia's temple. (A/N: A.A.S stands for Anime Anger Sign by the way.)

"What? Listen here Blondie! Why'd you throw a fork at me?"

"Two things." The boy said, holding up two fingers. "One, I wans't aiming at you. two, it isn't my fault you were in the way."

"Why you little jerk!" Rhia yelled.

"Please stop yelling." The boy asked calmly. "You're beginning to attract a crowd."

"Fine!" Rhia yelled, storming away. "What a jerk!"

Well, that was the first chapter! How was it? Please let let me know by reviewing! I'll have chapter two up soon! Oh, and let me know what you think of Rhia's character! (She's my favorite!) Until next time!


	2. A Storm at Sea

Hi! Here's the second chapter! Yay! This is so exciting, I have tears right now!

I do not own anything except for my character Rhia. (I wish I did though.)

Chapter 2: A Storm at Sea

RHIA'S P.O.V

'_There it is.' _I thought to myself, looking up at the majestic ship. As I boarded, I noticed that there weren't any other girls around. _'Well this should be very interesting.'_

I walked up the gang plank, I glanced around. The men that were on board were huge and intimidating. But I hid my uneasiness and walked to a mast, setting my bag beside it. I took a deep breath of the salty sea air, relishing the moment. However, that moment would soon be disrupted.

I looked over and saw some of the sailors staring at me.

I growled. "What do you want? Don't you know it's rude to stare?"

They averted their eyes rather quickly, away from my gaze.

"Perhaps if you wore a more modest shirt, then you wouldn't have guys staring at you."

I groaned. "Oh crap." I turned my head to the other side of the mast.

"We meet again." Said 'Blondie'. "I see we're both headed for the Hunter Exam."

"If I had known you were on this ship, I wouldn't have boarded." I spat, walking away.

"I'd love to know what I did to earn your resentment of me." He said calmly.

I A.. _'God he's so freaking annoying!' _I turned to face him.

"You threw a fork at my head!" I cried. "It doesn't take a Ph.D to figure that one out!"

"I told you I wasn't aiming at you."

"The fact remains that a metal object flew at me, and came from you." I growled.

"And yet, I still said that it wasn't my fault you were in the way."

"You jerk!" I yelled, drawing my sword.

"Violence is never an answer. It will only lead to more violence." He said with his eyes closed.

"Does it look like I care?" I asked. Suddenly, a young boy and man landed right next to me, causing me to yelp in surprise and fall over.

The boy had spikey brown/black hair and big brown eyes. He was wearing a green jacket and shorts with a small backpack. In his hand was a fishing pole. He helped me up.

He smiled at me. "Oh did I scare you miss? I'm sorry, but my friend and I were going to miss the ship."

I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off by Blondie.

"If I were you, I'd refrain from yelling." He commented.

"Oh shut up!" I yelled back, stomping away. _'Idiot.' _I was in a very bad mood now. Then I noticed something.

There was no one at the steering wheel.

I grinned. _'Yes, something to entertain myself with.' _I crept up to the wheel, and put my hands on it, making sure that I wasn't being watched. The captain was busy talking to the young boy with the fishing pole. I saw a man up on the main mast knock a bucket down. I watched it fall right on the tall man's face. He cried out when he saw it, and when it hit him, it burst. The pieces of wood flew towards Blondie, and even though his eyes were closed, he dodged every piece. I held back a giggle.

I played a bit with the wheel then, silently scolding the crew for not being diligent enough to catch a 15 year-old trouble maker. But, alas. Nothing lasts for long.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I yelped and ducked as knife was thrown above my head. _'What is it with people and throwing things at me?' _I turned around slowly and found myself face-to-face with the captain. He smelled like salt and liquor, toally creeping me out.

"Do you realize what you could have done?" he yelled at me. "This ship is on a very specific course! If we even move off a little-"

"Captain!" the boy with brown eyes called. "The Sea Cranes say that we're heading for a storm. A big one!"

The captain glared daggers at me. "Let me rephrase that. Do you realize what you HAVE done?"

"I'm sorry I didn't know!" I cried, trying to defend myself.

"That's no excuse!" he roared. "You still went and completely changed course! From now on, I'm not responsible for what happens to you on this ship."

"WHAT?" I yelled. I tried to keep myself from trembling. But all these guys. . . oh I'd really done it this time! Everyone on the ship was glaring at me now. Well, almost everyone.

"Hey, you okay?"

I turned and saw the brown-eyed boy looking ta me with concern.

I nodded. "Yeah, what made you think I wasn't?"

"You're shaking." He said.

'_Crap.' _"Oh really?" I said.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to get us in trouble." He said kindly. He held out his hand for me to shake. "My name's Gon. What's yours?"

I shook his hand. "Rhia."

LATER. . .

The storm hit, and it was a big one. But it didn't scare me. What really scared me was all the guys on the ship. But I stuck with Gon the entire time, which made me feel safer. He was really nice to me, even though I'd gotten the entire ship in trouble.

It wasn't so bad that we had to be inside the cabin, however. So Gon and I were taking full advantage of the situation and watched the lightning. All of a sudden, the main mast was struck by lightning! And then it started glowing!

"What's that?" Gon cried.

"It's called Saint Elmo's Fire." I said, sounding like an expert.

"What's Saint Elmo's Fire?" Gon asked. I was about to answer but was cut off by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"It's a phenomenon during which tall objects like that mast are illuminated by a build of static electricity. That means that there's probably a thunder head or electrified cloud situated directly above us."

I growled.

"Really?" Gon asked.

"So," said the tall man who arrived with Gon. "you can talk after all. Thanks a lot for the encyclopedic explanation."

Blondie frowned at the man, who was currently making faces at him.

God that kid was annoying. Then I had an evil idea and smirked. Gon noticd this and frowed in worry.

"Rhia? What are you planning?" he asked.

I ignored him and instead stepped back, asking Blondie a question as I went.

"Since you're so smart, can you answer my question?" I asked sweetly.

He just looked at me.

"I've been wondering. Are you a girl?"

"What?" he cried, as the sailors started snickering.

"Tee hee!" I giggled as Blondie blushed.

"I'm obvioulsy a guy!" he yelled.

"Sorry, I couldn't tell."

"Shut up! It's your fault we're in this storm!" he yelled at me.

My temper flared. "Hey!"

"Both of you stop." The captain siad, coming between us. "There's a legend. No sailor who ever sees Saint Elmo's Fire has ever made it back to port alive."

"Huh?" asked the tall man. "Good thing I'm not a sailor."

"Storm's coming, and it's gonna be big."

"But I thought this _was _the storm." I said.

He glared at me. "This is only a front. The worst is yet to come."

I paled and started shivering again. Man, he knew just how to shut me up!

LATER. . .

Now that actual storm hit. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed. The waves were very close to rising above the deck, so everyone was forced down into the ship's cargo area. I smirked when I saw all of the big, burly men looking very green and fainting here and there.

"Wimps." I giggled. Gon was being a nice kid, and trying to help those who were getting sick. Blondie somehow managed to fall asleep in a hammock and the other guy was looking in a mirror. I rolled my eyes at him. _'Weirdo.'_

Time passed and the storm didn't let up. I was getting more worried now. Exactly how far had I thrown us off course? Oh God, I was in for it now!

"What?"  
I looked up and saw the tall man talking to the captain.

"You want me to tell you what my name is?"

"Is it that big of a secret?" I asked in sarcasm.

He ignored me however, to which I was partly grateful.

"Yeah I do." The captain replied.

"My name's Gon!" Gon cried happily.

Blondie sat up in the hammock. "I'm Kurapika."

Suddenly, my heart skipped a couple beats when he said his name. Why was that? What else could possibly be wrong with me?

"And I'm . . . Leorio." The tall guy sighed.

"And you trouble maker?" he growled at me.

I smirked. "The name's Rhiannon Wolf, don't forget it!"

He ignored me however and asked another question. "And why do you want to become Hunters?"

"Do you really need to know or do you just want to know?" I asked lazily. "There's a big difference you know."

"It won't make a big differece if I throw you off this ship." He threatened. Again, I shut up.

"Why don't you mind your own buisiness?" Leorio growled. "You're just here to steer the ship."

"Captain," Gon offered. "I'll tell you my reason. My Dad's a Hunter, and I want to know what it's like."

"Whoa there kid, I was still talking to the guy." Leorio said. "Besides, he doesn't need to know your life story."

"What's the big deal?" Gon asked innocently. "It's no secret."

"Because I don't want to tell him! I don't have to do what he says. You see, I like to stand up for myself. That means never letting anyone boss me around."

"I agree with you Reolio." Kurapika said, jumping down.

"Hey you, who the hell do you think you are?" Leorio asked. "Next time you say my name, say it right!"

"It would be easy enough to dodge the captain's questions by making up a plausible lie, but I believe lying to be a sin, equal to greed. And as dishonorable."

"The name's Leorio." He growled. "You got that?"

"But I also feel that I cannot disclose the truth to a stranger whom I've just met." Kurapikka continued. "My reason for becoming a Hunter is much too personal."

Leorio growled.

"And that's why I choose not to answer the question at this time."

"You listening to me?" Leorio snarled. "The name's Leorio!"

'_Man he sure gets worked up about his name.' _I thought.

"And what about you trouble maker?" Leorio said, copying what the captain had called me. My eyes narrowed and I growled. "I have a name you know. Just because people don't say yours the way you want it said doesn't mean you can call other people names!"

"But will you tell him why you're here?" Gon asked.

I crossed my arms. "I don't really have much of a reason. I just wanted a challenge."

"Well I'm still not saying anything!" Leorio declared. Kurapika stayed silent.

"If the two of you can't answer my question, then you can get off my ship."

"What?" we all said together, looking at the captain.

"Now."

"Wha?" Leorio cried.

"You still don't get it do you?" the captain sighed. "The Hunter Exam has already begun. It started the moment you set foot on this ship." He said, pulling out a card. Everyone but me gasped. It was a regular sized card, purple and red, with two big black X's on it.

"That's from the Hunter Association!" Loerio cried, backing up.

"There are as many people who want a Hunter Liscense as there are stars in the sky." The captain said. "You think there are enough examiners with the time to judge em' all? Hardly. That's why there are people like me, who not only steer the ship, but also screen the applicants. The rest of the passengers didn't make the cut, and I'll be making my report on them to the Committee. If any of them reach the Exam by another way, they'll be turned down. What this all means is that whether or not you four can take the Exam has been left up to me. So you may want to answer my question."

"Guess I've got no choice." Leorio sighed. "The reason that I want to become a Hunter is that I-"

"I'm the only survivor of the Kurta Clan." Kurapika interrupted.

"Hey I was just going to tell him my reason!" Leorio complained.

'_What, is it his hobby to interrpput people?' _I wondered.

"I want to be a Blacklist Hunter, so I can capture fugitives with a bounty on their head and bring them to justice."

I winced slightly. _'Oh God he'd LOVE me.'_

"And why is that?" the captain asked.

'_Quite the nosey type.'_

"Ten years ago all of my brethern were brutally massacred. That gang of theives, the Phantom Troupe, is responsible. And I am determined to have my revenge."

"And that's why you want to become a Hunter." The captain comcluded.

Kurapika nodded.

"The Phantom Troupe has a Class A bounty on them. Even the most experienced Hunters won't go after them. It could cost you your life."

"I do not fear death. But what I fear most is that one day my rage will eventually fade away."

I clapped sacrcastically. "Amazing speech Blondie, I'm moved to tears of boredom."

"Get over yourself already." Leorio said. "You can take revenge without going thorugh all the trouble of becoming a Hunter."

"Don't be as stupid as you look." Kurapika said.

I laughed. "Nice!"

"Everyone knows that as a Hunter you have permission to do what few others can. You have access to places and information that no one else does. You can take almost any action, Reolio."

"For the last time, it's Leorio!"

"Okay then let's hear your reason." The captain said, looking at Leorio.

"My reason? I'mnot going to try and guess what you want me to say so I'm just going to get straight to the point. Money!"

I sweat-dropped. "Seriously?"

"As a Hunter I'll make loads of money! And then I can buy whatever I want!"

"I wonder if you could buy yourself some class, Reolio." Kurapika comented.

"Oh! Burn!" I cried laughing.

"That's the third strike." Leorio growled, glaring at Kurapika. "You Kurta tribesmen are a bunch of dirty half-wits who know nothing about manners."

I stopped laughing in shock. "Leorio!" I shouted at him.

"You take that back right now, Reolio."

"I've had enough of you." Leorio said. "Let's go."

"Sure, any time." Kurapika answered immeadiately. Leorio walked out and Kurapika followed him.

I slapped my forehead. _'Idiots.'_

"Hey! Come back here!" the captain yelled.

"Let them go." Gon said.

"What?"

"My Aun Mito used to tell me, 'If you want to get to know someone, start by finding out what makes them angry.' Whatever they're fighting about, it must be important."

I looked at Gon. "But what of one falls off the ship?"

"Oh so you care now?" the captain asked sharply.

He had no idea how much I _did _care. I frowned at him. "Of course I do. I'm not completely heartless."

With that, I ran up after Leorio and Kurapika.

When I reached the deck, however, I wasn't prepared at all for the wind. It was so strong it almost blew me overboard. The thunder was cracking louder than before, and the lightning was brighter, each flash making it look like daytime. During one of the flashes, I saw Kurapika and Leorio charging at each other.

'_How can they possibly manage to keep their balance at a time like this?' _I thought as I desperately clung to the rigging as a monstrous wave nearly washed me over the side. The ship was rocking violently, as if it was out of control. I looked up to the navigator's post and saw the problem.

No one was steerng!

I groaned. "Are you freaking kidding me?" I cried, running up and grabbing the wildly spinning wheel. It took most of my strength just to stay upright. But I was somehow able to get the ship somewhat balanced again.

'_Alright!' _I thought happily. But it wasn't over yet.

Kurapika and Leorio were still fighting, and one of the sailors was climging up the mast with a hammer. I then saw that the main mast was damaged! This was not good.

Then, a sound louder than thunder was heard. I slowly looked over to my left and saw what could only be described as a tsunami. (A/N: You know how in scary movies when the monster is right behind the main characters, and they turn around really slowly as if it wasn't going to eat them? Yeah, that's what Rhia's doing now.) My pupils dialated as it towered over the ship. If that thing hit us, we'd all die!

Then the wall of water hit us, nearly knocking the boat over. I screamed as the water almost pushed me off, but my voice was lost in the icy water. My brain could hardly register anything as I tried to keep my grip on the wheel. I heard shouting but couldn't make it out. By the grace of God the ship stayed upright and we were able to sail out of the hellish storm. I had a death-grip on the wheel, and my knuckles were as white as marble. My braid had also come out, and my bangs were hanging limply in front of my left eye. I released the wheel slowly and looked at my hands. They were very red, but no other apparent damage. I walked down to the deck and was met with quite a surprise.

I stood stock-still. "Uh, Leorio why are you in boxers?" I cried.

"AH!" he yelled, jumping behind the mast. "Hey no looking!"

"Well it's kind of hard not to when you stand in plain sight." I commented.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you anything about common courtesy?"

I flinched slightly and chose to ignore his rather painful question. "Didn't yours ever teach you not to walk around in boxers in public?" I retorted.

"This is why women shouldn't be allowed on ships!"

Kurapika snickered.

"Sexist." I spat.

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"Rhia, Leorio please stop fighting." Gon asked, coming between us.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I need to redo my braid."

I was stopped by the captain.

"What could I have possibly done this time?" I cried in aaggravation.

"Thank you for saving the ship Rhia." He said. "If it weren't for you we'd be at the bottom of the sea."

I was surprised by his words. "Oh. You're welcome. It wasn't that difficult, I mean I was raised on ships. I learned how to sail them at an early age."

"Good thing. It's important to know how to sail, as you've just seen an example."

I smiled. "I'm happy to help."

Okay! That chapter was a lot longer than I anticipated, but I hope you guys liked it! Chapter three will be up as soon as I can do it!

By the way, I know that it was only four years since the massacre of the Kurta Clan, but I tweaked it a little to fit my idea.

And what could Rhia have meant when she learned that Kurapika was going to become a Blacklist Hunter, and that 'he'd LOVE her'? Only time will tell, and I can't say when that time will come! Tee hee! Am I evil or what? Til next time! Read&Review everyone!


	3. The Unaswerable Question Part 1

Yeah! Chapter three is finally here! More of Rhia's seriously bad attitude! Oh joy! I hope you like this one too!

Chapter 3: The Unanswerable Question (Part one)

RHIA'S P.O.V

"LAND!" I yelled as I ran off the ship.

We had finally docked at Dole Island, and now I was happy to be on solid ground again, even if I did love the sea. But now I was faced with a problem.

Now what?

I had no clue at all about where to go, and I had no one to go with.

"Hey! Rhia!"

I turned around and saw Gon waving to me. He was standing next to Leorio and Kurapika.

"Come over here!" Gon cried.

I walked over. "What is it?"

"Why don't you come with us?" he asked. "It's a lot more fun to travel when you're with friends!"

I blinked in surprise. _'Friends?' _(A/N: So cliché, I know, but just bear with me!) "Really?"

"Sure why not? We are your friends aren't we?"

I grinned. "You bet!"

"Yay!" Gon cheered. He grabbed my hand and ran to what seemed to be a giant billboard. But I was concentrating on something else. Like, why did I suddenly blush so much when Gon grabbed my hand? He was my friend, why would I blush? Was it just because he was a boy, or was my indescisive heart trying to kill me again?

"Woah." Gon breathed, looking up. What I had thought to be a billboard was actually a huge map of Dole Island.

"It's huge." I said.

"We need to go there," Leorio said, coming up to us with Kurapika. He pointed to a city. "Zaban City. And there's a bus that is leaving in ten minutes for it."

"But Leorio," Gon said. "the captain told me we had to go to a lone ceadar tree."

I looked around. "Hey, there's one behind us. All the way at the top of that hill."

Behind us was a great forest, and what looked like miles away was a big hill, with one enormous tree on the top.

"But Zaban City is this way." Leorio said, pointing ahead of us.

"But the tree." Gon said.

"I'm taking the bus Gon." Leorio said in a final tone.

"Well, I'm going to try going that way." Gon said. "Who's with me?"

"I'll come." Kurapika said. "I'm interested to see where this path will take us."

"I'll go too." I answered. "Sorry Leorio, but I don't trust buses."

"I'd be with you."

"Perhaps that is the reason why she won't go." Kurapika stated with a smirk.

"Oh shut up." Leorio growled. He walked forward. "Nice knowing you guys!"

"See you later Leorio!" Gon called.

So Gon, Kurapika and myself set off down the rugged looking path towards the lone ceadar tree.

"Why do you think Leorio didn't come with us?" Gon asked aloud.

"He's too logical." I said with a wave of my hand. "He has no sense of adventure whatsoever."

"Well, the logical choice would be to go in that direction." Kurapika stated.

"Then why are you coming with us?"

"I told you I'm curious."

I growled. _'Why is he ticking me off so easily? Granted it's not hard too do, but it seems like whenver he speaks I want to blow up.' _"So you'll risk missing the Hunter Exam because you gave in to your curiosity?" I cried. "What about your whole 'revenge' idea?"

He turned and glared at me. "What I plan to do with my life is none of your concern."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hey guys."

We all turned around and saw a tall man with a muscle shirt, a pair of twin swords and red hair coming up to us.

"Who are you?" Kurapika asked.

"My name's Matthew." He replied. "Can I join you guys? I always say there's saftey in numbers."

"Are you entering the Hunter Exam?" Gon cried.

Matthew smiled. "I sure am. So can I come?"

"Of course!" Gon said happily.

Matthew's gaze lingered on me for a few seconds longer than nessecary.

"And you are?" he asked me.

I blushed. "R-Rhia." Curse my stuttering!

"My name's Kurapika." He cut in, giving Matthew a cold look.

"I'm Gon, and well, you've already been introduced to my friends." Gon said.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Matthew said, edging closer to me.

I growled. "You take one more step closer to me and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

He grinned. "Whatever you say."

I growled again. I REALLY didn't like this guy. He gave me the creeps. I blushed the entire time we walked down the path. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him grinning at me like a Cheshire Cat. I shuddered involuntarily. What was this guy's problem?

When we reached the forest however, it got a lot worse.

Matthew suddenly stumbled, falling into me. I let out a squeal as we crashed to the ground, with him on top of me.

Thankfully Kurapika and Gon had enough sense to pull him off before all the blood went to my cheeks from blushing so hard.

I got uo and dusted myself off, glaring at him the whole time.

"You okay Matthew?" Gon asked in concern.

"Ow! Yeah, just hurt my ankle." He said, wincing slightly. "Sorry for troubling you guys."

"Oh it's fine." Gon assured him. "Do you need any help walking?"

"I think so." He looked at me. "Rhia, could I-"

"Not in a million years!" I interrupted him.

"Matthew, I could carry you on my back." Gon offered. He let Matthew get in a piggy-back position on his back, and then continued walking.

I was surprisingly glad that Matthew wasn't able to walk, cause now he couldn't walk by me! I followed Gon up the path with Kurapika behind me.

Then suddenly Kurapika stopped and called me.

"Hey Rhia, I think I saw something back there. Would you help me check it out?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You want help from me Blondie? Well there's a shocker."

"Don't argue." He growled, grabbing my wrist before I could say no.

"Kurapika where are you going?" Gon asked, setting Matthew down beside a tree.

"We won't be long, don't go anywhere." Kurapika answered, almost dragging me with him.

We walked back, and then I stopped him.

"Okay what's up?" I asked, a hand on my hip. "You'd never ask for my help if your life depended on it."

"While you do have a point there," Kurapika said, "I just don't trust him."

"Who? Matthew?"

"No, Gon. Of course I don't trust Matthew!" he scolded me, like I was some five-year old child.

"Watch your mouth Blondie." I said, pointing a finger in his face.

"I do have a name."

"I know, but you'll always be Blondie to me."

He stopped abruptly and turned his head to the side, as if he'd heard something. But did I detect a slight blush on his cheeks?

"Come on Rhia, we should go back to Gon now."

"Okay." I said, still unsure of what that blush was about.

We walked back to the spot where Gon and Matthew were, but we saw only Matthew. I was about to call out to Gon when Kurapika covered my mouth.

"Shh! You idiot! Do you want him to hear you?"

"He's hurt stupid!" I whispered harshly, pulling his hand away.

"Really?" Kurapika guestured over and I saw Matthew standing up. I felt my temper flare.

"Why that-" I was stopped again by Kurapika's hand, who guessed that I was about to let loose a stream of profanities.

"Heh heh." Matthew chuckled darkly. "Stupid kids. I can't believe they fell for my fake injury. Too, bad though, I raeelyy would have liked to lean on Rhia-OW!"

I had picked up a rock and chucked it at him, hitting his temple.

I stomped put of the bushes with Kurapika.

"YOU PERVERT!" I yelled.

"You're not really hurt are you Matthew?" Kurapika asked with a glare.

Matthew didn't say anything as he gave us a worried look and then left hurriedly. I was still steaming when Gon came back with some kind of weird plant in his hands. He looked confused.

"Hey guys! Where's Matthew?"

"Oh the pervert?" I asked sharply. "He wasn't really hurt so he left."

"Oh."

"We should keep moving." Kurapika said, putting a hand on Gon's shoulder. He looked kind of sad to me.

'_Welcome to the real world.' _I thought.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *lightning flashes in background* Tee hee! This is only part one of this chapter! AHA! But the next one will be up, (again) as soon as possible, I have LOADS of stuff to do, I'm starting to lose my voice (which IS NOT GOOD, I have two different choir concerts to sing at!) So yeah, my life is insane, but then again, we all have those moments don't we? Thanks to all people who reviewed! I really appriciate it! Until next time!


	4. The Unanswerable Question Part 2

Tee hee! Hello everybody! Here's Part Two of The Unaswerable Question! I hope you like it! Remember, please Read and Review, and you will have my undying gratitude!

Sadly, I do not own any of these characters except for Rhia. But hey, she's pretty awesome right? HELL YEAH!

Chapter 4: The Unanswerable Question (Part Two)

RHIA'S P.O.V

To recap, Matthew had been lying and left when I threw a rock at him. Gon came back and seemed a little confused and upset as to why Matthew was gone, but he didn't have long to dwell on that cause at that moment, we found Leorio.

"Hey! Wait up!"

We turned around to see Leorio coming up behind us, panting heavily.

I smirked and put my hands on my hips. "Decided to join us after all, eh Leorio?"

"Sh-shut up!" he said, trying to catch his breath. "The bus. . . was a trap!"

"No kidding." I remarked.

Gon ran up to him. "Great! Now we're all together again!"

"Oh joy." I mumbled, continuing to walk ahead. I mentally slapped myself. _'What the hell is wrong with me? I've never acted like this before! Why now? And why around these guys? What's happening to me?'_

Soon we came upon what looked like a deserted city. It was dark and empty, and a strange wind seemed to come out of nowhere and blow slightly through, making me shiver. But it wasn't from the wind.

"Rhia?" Leorio asked. "What's wrong?"

"I hate being watched." I said, hugging myself.

"What? But there's no one here but us."

"You mean you can't hear them?" Gon asked in surprise.

"Hear what?"

"Breathing." Kurapika answered.

"Yeah, and clothes rustling." Gon added. "I think they're trying to hide."

"I think you guys are a bit crazy." Leorio commented.

"And your point is?" I asked. But he wasn't paying any attention to me. I groaned and turned around to keep walking, but then I stopped in my tracks and felt my pupils dialate.

"If they're trying to hide then they suck!" I yelled.

The other three whirled around to see what I was yelling about.

There before us was an ancient-looking woman with a large walking stick with a knot of wood at the top the size of a baseball. Behind her was what I had seen. Hundreds of people stood behind her, wearing long white sheets that completely covered everything but the head, which was adorned with a mask similar to one worn while playing hockey, and giant, poofy wigs, all different kinds of colors. In all honesty, I was kind of scared of them. And they were producing a strange noise I couldn't really make out.

"What is this?" Leorio cried.

"Congratulations." The old woman said. "You have made it thus far, but you will not get any farther unless you pass this quiz."

"Quiz?" Leorio repeated. "What quiz?"

"The Quiz of Two Answers!" (A/N: If anyone knows what this quiz is actually called, please let me know! I'm writing this whole story from memory.)

I was confused.

"I will ask you a question. You will have two answers, 1 and 2. All other answers, no matter how clever, will not be accepted and you will be disqualified."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Leorio smirked.

"I'm not very good at quizzes." Gon admitted.

"Also, only one answer will be accepted." The old woman added.

"What? Only one of us can answer?" Leorio cried.

"That's what she said, do you need it spelled out?" I asked with a hand on my hip.

Leorio pointed to Kurapika. "So if he gets it wrong, then we're all disqualified!"

Kurapika closed his eyes. "Not likely. It's more probable if you answer incorrectly."

There were literately sparks between them as they glared at each other.

I groaned. "Can we just get this over with? I do have a life you know."

"Can I be in it?"

I squealed and jumped about two feet in the air. Behind us stood Matthew. He seemed to have gotten bolder n his flirting attempts with me.

"Hello gorgeous. Did ya miss me?"

"GAH!" I yelled. "STALKER! CREEPER!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere." He smirked, stepping ahead. "I'll take the quiz first." He grinned at me. "And then you'll see what kind of a man I am."

"You're kidding right?" Kurapika asked, sweat-dropping.

"I feel sick." I moaned.

Matthew turned to the old woman. "Okay, let's have it."

"Here's the question: Your mother and your true love have been captured by demons. You can only save one of them. Would you save 1) your mother, or 2) your true love?"

Everyone was completely still. None of us had been expecting that.

"What kind of a question is that?" I asked quietly. "You can't possibly answer something like that!"

Matthew seemed to be thinking hard. Then he said with an annoying air of confidence, "1."

"Why 1?"

"Because you only have one mother in the world, but you can always get another girlfriend."

"WHAT?" I yelled. There was no way he was EVER going to get an actual girlfriend with an attitude like that.

He looked back at me and winked. "Except for you gorgeous."

I felt my temper rising to the boiling point.

"You may pass." The old lady said, moving aside for him to pass through.

"Heh. Piece of cake." He said haughtily. He looked back at me and grinned. "I'll be waiting for you Rhia."

"Oh no! Not now, not ever!" I yelled.

"Oh, defensive."

"GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" I screamed at him. He frowned and walked away. The old lady moved back into her place, blocking the path from view.

It was our turn.

"Should we even try this way?" Leorio wondered aloud. "Maybe there's another way around?"

"There is no other way around." The old lady said. "If you try going through the surrounding forest, you won't last five minutes. There are hungry man-eating beasts out there."

"Just what we need." I groaned. "More death experiences."

"In addition to that, the forest itself is a labyrinth of trails and dead-ends." She added.

I growled. "How pessimistic can you get?"

"For once Rhia's right!" Leorio announced.

"What do you mean for once? You hardly know me." I commented with a raised eyebrow.

"I think she's crazy!"

"Who, me or the old lady?"

"Both!"

"You idiot!"

I noticed Kurapika suddenly go rigid beside me, and I was filled with a sudden feeling of dread. What happened? Why did he do that? But most importantly. . .

'_WHY THE HELL DO I EVEN CARE?'_

"I've had enough of this!" Leorio yelled.

"Leorio!" Kurapika suddenly yelled. "D-"

"Silence!" the old woman commanded. "From now on, only the answers to this quiz are to be spoken! Anything else is instant disqualification!"

I growled. _'What is this lady's problem? How does she expect us to answer this stupid question?' _I thought, balling my hands into fists. I glanced at Kurapika and saw him looking directly at me, which made me stop growling for a moment. _'Now what's HIS problem? Good God why is he staring at me like that?'_

"Here is your question." The old lady announced. "Your son and your daughter have been kidnapped. You can only save one of them. Would you save 1) your son or 2) your daughter? You have ten seconds to answer."

I turned my gaze away from Kurapika. I was suddenly having second thoughts about this. What was going on here? Why did Kurapika act like that? Why did he give me almost a pleading stare? Wait- pleading? What was it? Did he want me to understand something? But what could that possibly be? Was it about the quiz? But what other than an answer could he want me to know? Of course it was the answer! Why else would he be staring at me? But then again. . . what was the answer? Did Kurapika have it? He must have it! what other reason could there be?

"Time's up!" the woman announced.

I growled. I still couldn't believe this! And now we were disqualified! Why did this happen to me?

"That's it! I've had enough of you!" Leorio yelled, putting down his briefcase. He went over to the side of the building and grabbed a long iron pole.

"Leorio-" Gon started, but was cut off.

"Don't try and stop me! I'll be doing everyone a favor by getting rid of this old hag!" He walked over to the old lady and brought the pole down on her head.

But I got there first.

I don't really know what made me do it, but in less than two seconds I had drawn my sword and stepped in front of her. As soon as the bar collided with my blade, and interesting thing happened.

It was cut cleanly in two.

"Woah!" Gon cried.

I growled. "YOU IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HIT AN OLD LADY!"

He gave me a glare of his own. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GOT IN MY WAY!"

"WHY DO YOU THINK I DID THAT?"

"Hey stop!" Gon yelled, trying to get in between us, but I wouldn't let him.

"WHY DON'T YOU EVER THINK BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING?" I practically screamed in his face.

"Would both of you shut up?" Kurapika yelled, drawing our attention away. "We passed you idiots!"

I almost dropped my sword. "What? What do you mean we passed?"

"That's what he said, do you need it spelled out?" Leorio mocked.

I smacked his head. "SHUT UP!"

"Rhia stop yelling." Kurapika said. "We passed. We gave the right answer."

"And what, pray tell, was the correct answer?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Silence." Kurapika answered, turning to face me. "You said it yourself Rhia. 'You can't possibly answer something like that.' The quiz has no right answer. The only rule was that we have to answer 1 or 2. But we can't answer. So the solution is silence."

"But what about that other guy?" Leorio cried, pointing in the direction that Matthew had taken. "Do you have answer to that one? Huh?"

"No one ever said that he answered correctly." Kurapika said grimly. "I heard him shouting a while back. He must have gotten attacked by something."

"Well, he certainly got out of my life." I commented quietly.

The ancient-looking woman smiled. "Right you are." She gestured to the side of another building, where a new opening was appearing before us.

Leorio turned to the old lady. "Hey look, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." She smiled. "The reason I took this job is because I wanted to meet people like you." she looked at all of us. "You'll all make fine Hunters one day."

"Thanks!" Gon said as he walked toward the path, followed by Leorio and Kurapika. But I didn't move.

The old lady smiled at me. "You have something to say?"

I nodded. "I was just wondering. . . why those questions? Why ask questions with no answer?"

She smiled. "Because child, the questions life gives us do not always have an answer. Sometimes we just need to keep quiet and watch what happens."

"So what you're saying," I concluded. "Is that these questions. . . are preparing us for if we really have to make that kind of decision?"

"Heaven forbid you ever find yourself in that situation, but yes, that is the point."

"But if that really happens, we can't just sit back and watch!" I argued. "What should we do if we have to make that kind of decision?"

"Only you can answer that." She said to me. "Now you may want to catch up with your friends."

I nodded. "Thank you."

Then I ran to where the others were.

"HA!" Leorio laughed. "What took you so long?"

"I was just curious about the quiz, so I asked a couple questions." I answered. "That's all."

"Rhia, don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" Leorio asked.

"I don't think she is." Gon spoke up. "After all, if I had to make that decision, what would I do?"

"You too?" Leorio sighed.

"Okay how about this?" I asked, facing Leorio. "Who would you save? Me or Gon?"

"Easy. Gon."

Kurapika snickered as I kicked Leorio in the shin.

"You idiot!"

"You asked!"

"I didn't think you'd answer it that quickly!" I sighed. "You just don't get it do you? The future is uncertain and full of mystery. The time may come for one of us, or all of us, to answer the question with no answer."

"Rhia do you honestly believe that you'll have to do that one day?" Leorio asked. I stopped walking and turned so I was facing all of them.

"With all my heart."

YAY! The chapter is finally over! This was my favorite to write so far. I kind of turned Rhia into a philosopher of something at the end, but that's what I really liked about it. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter 'kay? Till next time!


	5. Magical Beasts!

Hiya! It's chapter five! *cheering in background* I hope you like this one! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but you know how life is! And thank you to people who are sending reviews! Love you guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own HunterxHunter, blah blah blah. . . All I own is Rhia, blah blah blah. . . Same old stuff, nothing new.

Chapter 5: Magical Beasts?

RHIA'S P.O.V

"How long have we been walking?" Gon asked.

"I'm not sure." I answered.

"This walk was supposed to be two hours." Kurapika said.

"What? Two hours ago we'd been walking for two hours!" Leorio cried.

"Hey, another sign." Gon said, looking to his right.

God I didn't know how many dang signs we'd seen but they all said the same thing: _Beware of Monsters! _

"If there are so many monsters here then why haven't we seen any?" Leorio asked aloud. "At this rate do you think we'll ever get there?"

"If you keep complaining I highly doubt it." I remarked.

"Why don't you watch your mouth!" he said.

I turned to him. "Oh I'm sorry. I forgot. I must respect my elders."

Kurapika and Gon chuckled.

"I'M NOT THAT OLD!"

"Whatever you say Leorio." I teased, walking forward with a hand on my hip.

LATER. . .

"Okay, now we've been walking forever." I moaned.

"Guys, let's try and have fun!" Gon cheered. "Okay? If we stop fighting, then this'll be fun!"

I looked ahead and saw a dark and dense jungle. "Oh. Sure. I don't remember the last time I've had SO much fun."

"Come on Rhia!" Gon pleaded. "Try and have fun okay?"

I sighed. "Fine. I'll try. But I can't guaruntee that I will."

"Yeah!" he cheered, jumping up.

I smiled slightly. _'I'll try. But only for you Gon. Only because you asked me to-WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? God I have issues!'_

"So where are we supposed to be going again?" Leorio asked.

"The captain told me that we need to go to the Navigator's house by the big cedar tree." Gon answered. "He said they're a young couple."

"Great. But how long will it take us to get there?" Leorio questioned. Gon shrugged.

"I don't know. But I hope it'll be fun!"

I rolled my eyes. _'Only HE could think that at this time.' _

Then the jungle ended and there was now a swamp before us.

I growled audibly.

"Rhia." Kurapika warned.

"Oh come on! First some freaky jungle and now this?" I cried, gesturing to the murky water ahead.

"Rhia, you're supposed to have fun." Leorio teased.

"Yeah sure. There's no better place to have fun than in a godforsaken swamp!" I yelled.

Kurapika smacked the back of my head.

"Will you stop it?" he growled.

"We have to find some way across." Leorio said, looking around. "But I don't see anything."

"Hey, there's a boat!" Gon said, pointing to a small rowboat. "Let's go!"

So after checking to make sure that the little rowboat was safe, we all climbed in. Leorio and Kurapika were rowing while I sat next to Gon. Well, _I _sat. Gon. . . not so much. He was turning his head like an owl's trying to see everything around us. At one point, his hand landed on top of mine, and I blushed. Thankfully the mist was thick enough so the two buys in front of me couldn't see my face.

"This is amazing!" Gon cried. He turned to me. "Rhia have you ever seen anything like this?"

I shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's a swamp."

"Yeah, it's a swamp, but just listen to all the sounds! There's so many!" he said, now sitting still. "Just listen Rhia."

I did as he said. I closed my eyes and listened. He was right! I now heard many little sounds I never would have heard before! I could hear the chirping of crickets, the beating of a bird's wings, the cry of some far off bird, the slight splashing behind us-wait, what?

I opened my eyes and looked past Leorio and Kurapika. Gon had already noticed. Before we could say anything, a dark shape rose out of the surface.

"Uh-guys!" Gon cried, pointing behind them.

"What is it Gon?" Kurapika asked.

I screamed at the top of my lungs when it came into full view. It was a giant sea monster, with dark slimy looking skin, black eyes, and clumps of underwater vegetation hanging from it. Leorio yelled too, and grabbed Kurapika's oar away from him. Leorio then began to row faster than humanly possible. We left the monster behind us, but then crashed into something else, which made me topple out of the boat.

"Rhia!" Gon cried. "Are you okay?"

I raised my head and spit sand out. "If anyone ever says to you, 'I could kiss the ground', tell them I think they're an idiot."

Kurapika chuckled at my sour mood as Gon climbed out and helped me up.

"What was that thing?" Leorio cried, getting out as well.

"I'll take a wild guess and say that it was a monster." Kurapika said with a smirk.

"Oh you think you're so funny."

"He's funnier than you." I commented.

"Come on guys, let's keep moving!" Gon cheered. He looked around. "Hey wait, where'd Kurapika go?"

"The little historian went that way." Leorio said, gesturing behind him.

Kurapika was staring at a large portion of rock, with strange markings on it. I walked over to him.

"What is it?"

"These are markings from the ancient Sumi tribe." He answered. "I can't read what it says however, since it's not all here."

"Kurapika, Rhia!" Gon called. "We're going to keep moving!"

"Coming!" I replied. I turned to Kurapika. "Come on Blondie, let's go."

He growled a little at his nickname but went ahead of me anyways.

LATER. . .

"I used to like forests, but now I'm having second thoughts." I groaned as walked through yet another forest.

"And yet you want to be a Hunter." Kurapika accused.

"You know Blondie-"

"Enough with the quibbling!" Leorio reprimanded me.

"Hey, he's doing it too!" I argued.

"But he's not the instigator."

I growled and kept silent. But of course, that didn't last long. (A/N: Never does. . . )

"So where are we?" I asked after about five minutes of silence.

"I'm not really sure." Leorio answered.

"Hey! There it is!" Gon announced, pointing ahead. There about fifty yards away was the giant cedar tree, and we could see the house at the bottom.

"Yes!" I cheered. "We made it!" Gon and I high-fived as Leorio rolled his eyes.

"Let's go." Kurapika said, walking ahead. We followed him and were soon on the front porch of the steps.

"I'll knock." Leorio said, knocking slightly.

No answer.

He knocked again.

No answer.

"Do you think they're home?" Gon asked.

"Let's try the door." Leorio suggested.

"Hey you can't open it, it's not your house!" I argued.

"Bt Rhia, we need to see them." Leorio countered. "Besides, it's not like we're going to rob the place." He turned the door knob. "It's open."

When the door swung open, Kurapika whipped out his twin . . . sticks, I wasn't quite sure what they were. (A/N: At this point, Rhia doesn't know that Kurapika has twin swords because of the coverings on them.) And Leorio got out his big pocket knife.

It looked ransacked. Everything was broken, and the table and chairs were upside down. But in the center of the room was a giant creature, rusty red in color, with sharp beady eyes and long claws. Under one arm it held a young girl with short black hair and strange tattoos on her face and arms. Off to the side was a young man on the floor, also with black hair.

"Look out!" Leorio cried as the creature pounced out of the room. But unfortunately for me, one of the claws grazed my arm, giving me a deep gash.

"Rhia!" Gon cried.

I stood up. "I'm fine!"

"Loerio, stay here and take care of him!" Kurapika commanded, running off with me and Gon at his side.

"You can count on me!" he answered.

So the three of us raced through the trees, trying to find the creature. But we lost it.

"Where is it?" I cried.

Gon suddenly whippped his head to side. "This way!"

I blinked in surprise. _'How could he have possibly seen that? He's good.' _I quickly followed Gon's disappearing figure. Kurapik awas in front of me, and pretty soon it turned into a race through the trees. Literately. Gon and Kurapika were jumping from branch to branch, trying to catch up with the thing. I stayed on the ground cause of my arm. I wouldn't have been able to go through branches like that with my bleeding arm. I could hear Gon and Kurapika shouting to each other, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. I could see them though. Then Gon suddenly hit the creature on the head with his fishing pole, causing it to drop the girl. Kurapika raced forward and caught her before she hit the ground. As I ran closer, I could make out what they were saying now.

"Kurapika, take care of her!" Gon cried as he disappeared into the darkness. I caught up to Kurapika now.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

I panted. "S…sorry. But not…everyone's a…marathon runner."

"Calm down and take a deep breath." He said. He looked down at the girl. "Are you hurt?"

"No, but…my husband." The girl said softly. "Is he alright?"

"Your husband's fine." Kurapika answered.

"Please," the girl pleaded, reaching her hand up to his cheek. "You must help him. You must help my husband."

As she reached up, her sleeve fell back, revealing more tattoos. I saw Kurapika's eyes widen, but before he could say anything, there was a sound from the bushes. Kurapika's weapons were out as we saw Leorio emerge from the bushes.

"Leorio?" Kurapika said in suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

I suddenly got a very bad vibe from Kurapika regarding Leorio. Something was wrong.

"I had just finished with her husband when I remembered her arm." He said, looking at me. "So I came here to help her."

'_This isn't Leorio.' _I thought. I backed up. "I don't need your help."

"Yes you do." He said. "It's bleeding pretty badly."

"Leorio, why won't you say my name?" I asked.

"Just let me see your arm-"

He was cut off by Kurapika slamming his weapons into his face.

Suddenly, Leorio began transforming. "Heh heh. How'd you know I wasn't your friend?"

"I told Leorio to stay with the husband, and he said 'You can count on me.' I don't think Leorio is the type to break his word." Kurapika turned his gaze on the creature, giving it a terrifying glare. "I only hit you because you left the wounded alone. That's all."

Then the creature suddenly disappeared. Kurapika returned his attention to the girl. But this time he brought out his weapons and make them in an X shape in front of her. "Now…what are you?" he asked.

At first the girl looked confused, but then she suddenly grinned. She looked evil.

"You're clever aren't you?" she asked, standing up. "How?"

"Those tattoos on your arms promote chastity." Kurapika explained. "So why would someone with those tattoos get married?"

My eyes widened in realization.

"You're a Magical Beast too!" I cried, pointing at her. I winced cause I had used my bad arm. She smirked as she began to transform.

"Catch me if you can." She laughed, leaping over us. Kurapika and I looked at each other and nodded. We ran off after her.

LATER. . .

Well, we had followed the direction the girl/Magical Beast had taken, and found ourselves in a grassy field. Gon and Leorio were already there, along with the girl, her 'husband', and two other beasts. My jaw dropped open as Kurapika just stared ahead in surprise.

"Rhia, Kurapika!" Gon called, waving us over. "We were afraid you got lost!"

"Us? Get lost? Ha!" I laughed. "I never get lost!"

Kurapika rolled his eyes.

I didn't really pay any attention to what they were saying since I was trying to convince Leorio that my arm really was fine, and that I didn't need anything. Once our voices had reached the shouting point, Kurapika stopped me and threatened to knock me unconscious if I didn't shut up and let him help me. I did, and Leorio was able to bandage my arm to stop the bleeding.

Then they offered us a ride to Zaban City. We each got to ride on one, and I'd never experienced something like it before! I was holding on with one hand, and touching clouds with the other. My braid flew behind me in the wind, which was cool and crisp. _'This must be what birds feel like.' _I thought, closing my eyes. I enjoyed to entire ride, up until we reached our destination. Zaban City.

We'd finally made it to the Hunter Exam.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This chapter is over! Yay! Thanks so much to all people who have sent me reveiws, I really appreciate it. If I'm not doing something right, please, please, please let me know, and I'll try and correct it. Okay? And how did you like this one? I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can, but like I've been saying, I'm very busy. So please review! Till next time! Tee hee!


	6. New Friends, New Enemies

Here's chapter 6! HOORAY! I hope you like it!

Once again, I own nothing but Rhia. (Oh joy.) And thanks again to all you wonderful reviewers! I love you guys!

By the way, thank you **Bob Is Hawt but I'm Hawter **for all of your reviews! I appreciate them! Really, I do!

Chapter 6: New Friends, New Enemies

RHIA'S P.O.V

One of the Magical Beasts was going to be our Navigator, and therefore stayed with us. (A/N: Does anyone know if it was a girl or a guy? I couldn't tell, and again, I'm writing this whole thing from memory cause my computer doesn't have sound right now. Totally sucks. . . I'll just refer to it as a guy.)

We followed him through the busy streets. There were so many people! Even more than on Whale Island! I wished I was an owl, so I would have been able to turn my head all the way around to see everything!

"Rhia, what is it?" Gon asked.

"I've never seen so much before!" I said, almost breathless. "This is so much better than home!"

"Home? Rhia where are from?" Gon asked.

I blushed a bit. That wasn't supposed to slip out. "Uh…the city."

"Which city?"

"Oh look over there!" I cried, ignoring his question.

I ran ahead of the others, taking in all of the sights and sounds.

"Ah, here we are." the Navigator said. We looked in front of us and saw a grand building of marble, with columns that went up so far, it seemed they touched the clouds. The building itself was of an expensive-looking green marble. It took my breath away.

"This is it." Leorio breathed.

"This is the place where people from the four corners of the world gather to become Hunters." Kurapika said.

"Huh? Oh it's not here, it's there." the Navigator said, pointing to the side. He was pointing to a small restaurant.

"Seriously?" I said.

"What? This is the site for the Hunter Exam?" Leorio asked in confusion. "But it's a little restaurant."

"Exactly." The Navigator said, opening the door for us. "Who would think to look for the entrance in here?"

"He has a point." I said, walking through the door. It was a tiny little place, not too dirty, and there were like two customers.

"What can I get ya?" the cook asked our Navigator.

"Steak." He answered.

The cook raised an eyebrow. "How would you like it?"

"Grilled over, low flame."

"You got it." the cook replied.

A waitress came up to us. "This way, if you please."

We filed into an empty back room, and the Navigator stopped at the doorway.

"Okay this is as far as I go. From now on, you're on your own." He said with a smile. "Here, catch." He said, throwing white circles at us. Kurapika, Leorio and I caught ours, and Gon's landed on his forehead.

"These are your badges you'll use during the Exam." The Navigator said. "Now good luck to all of you, and if you don't pass this year, I'll be happy to be your Navigator again next time." He started to walk away, but Gon stopped him.

"Hey," he said, holding out his hand. "thanks a lot!"

The Navigator looked at him in confusion for a moment, and then shook his hand. He smiled. "You're very welcome."

Then he turned and left.

I sighed. "Now what?"

"Well, I guess we wait." Gon said.

As if in the form of an answer, the door suddenly shut and I felt like I was in a very fast elevator.

"What's with the room?" Leorio asked.

"Why are you asking me?" I said. "But I think the room is going down."

"We could have figured that out for ourselves thanks." Leorio retorted.

I frowned. "And yet you asked!"

"Rhia, Leorio!" Gon said. "Please stop fighting!"

"Hey Gon," Kurapika suddenly asked. "what kind of Hunter do you want to be?"

Gon smiled sheepishly. "Uh…I don't know."

I slapped my forehead. _'Oh boy…'_

Then Kurapika and Leorio went on this long, rambling explanation of what being a Hunter was all about, and how according to Kurapika, it was the most honorable job in the world. But to Leorio, it was so you could make lots of money.

I didn't add any input because…well, to tell the truth, I didn't know either! I said I wanted to become a Blacklist Hunter because I'd heard about what they did. And…I had a mission that I couldn't fail. No matter what.

Or I'd never forgive myself.

"Rhia?"

"Huh?" I turned around and saw the other three staring at me.

"We were calling your name, but you didn't answer." Gon said. "You looked like you were hypnotized."

"I wasn't. Just…thinking about something." I said, blushing a bit.

"About what?" Leorio asked.

"Do you really need to know?" I asked. "No I didn't think so." I answered for him.

I didn't say anything the rest of the time we were in that room. I was having some…unpleasant thoughts in my head, and I wanted them OUT!

Then, the door opened. I was in the front this time, so I looked back at the three boys.

"What are you waiting for?" Leorio asked.

I stuck my tongue out at him and walked out stiffly. However, I stopped dead as soon as I saw the sight in front of me.

Guys. All guys. I didn't see a single girl in the entire room. All men. I hated guys I didn't know.

"Wow." Gon said, coming next to me. I instinctively moved closer to him.

"This isn't like what I imagined at all." Kurapika noted. "They look like professionals."

Oh, that made me feel SO much better. NOT!

Why was I feeling so self-conscious? What was going on with me?

"Rhia are you okay?" Gon asked gently. I realized I must have been trembling. I took a deep breath and smiled.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous, that's all."

"Okay." Gon said. He looked around. "So many people here. I wonder how many there are?"

"You guys make 406." Came a voice from behind us.

We turned around and saw a rather stout man, with a large nose and brown hair that was slicked back. He had a badge on as well that read 16.

He smiled at us. "Hi, my name's Tompa." He said, holding out his hand for us to shake. Gon took it happily. "My name's Gon! And these are my friends Leorio, Kurapika and Rhia."

"Nice to meet you all." Tompa said. "Well if any of you have any questions about the Exam just ask me. I'm kind of like a veteran."

"Really? How many times have you taken the Exam?" Gon asked.

"35 times." Tompa announced.

I sweat-dropped "That's not really something you should be proud of."

"So you must know all of the contestants!" Gon said.

"Most of them." Tompa said, looking over his shoulder. "See that one over there?"

I didn't really bother listening now. I didn't care who these people were. I wasn't going to be friends with any of them except for the ones I already had.

My eyes widened at my thoughts, and I realized how much I'd changed in the course of only a few days. When I first met Gon, Leorio and Kurapika, I honestly didn't really care about any of them except for Gon. But now…now I thought of all of them as my friends. Why? Why was I suddenly caring so much? What was happening to me?

I felt eyes on my back and spun around.

There in the crowd was a young boy with snow-white hair and dark eyes. He was wearing blue shorts, a long-sleeved purple shirt with a light purple T-shirt on top. He was carrying a skateboard under one arm. He was just looking at me. Not staring, just…looking. Like he was curious.

"Rhia! Stop daydreaming!" Kurapika called. I turned to him.

"You're not my mother Blondie!" I turned back to the other kid, but he was gone. _'Where could he have gone?' _I thought to myself. I then walked back over to my friends, and wondered what they were talking about.

Then we heard screaming.

The crowd parted to reveal two men, one standing and the other kneeling. I covered my mouth when I saw it. The man who was kneeling didn't have any arms.

They were laying on the floor in front of him.

The man who was standing cackled. "Remember next time you bump into someone, apologize."

He looked like a clown. No joke, I'm serious! He wore a jester's outfit, and his blue/green hair looked windswept, but stayed in place, as if he used large amounts of hair gel. He had make-up on his face too, a little star on one cheek, and a little tear-drop on the other.

"Tompa, who's that?" Gon asked.

"That's Number 44. Hisoka the Magician. Don't cross paths with him in a dark alley, trust me. He almost won last year, but was disqualified for nearly killing an examiner he didn't like."

"But why is he here again?" I asked in a quiet voice. "Wouldn't they know who he was? He kind of leaves an impression, you know what I mean?"

Tompa chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But they change the examiners every year, and besides, anyone can enter the Exam." He looked directly at me. "Even the Devil."

Well, this was creepy beyond belief. And it got worse when Hisoka turned and walked near us. I got the chills, and they WEREN'T the good kind. They were the scared kind. Yes, I admit it! I was scared! Hisoka scared the crap outta me!

Gon noticed me shaking and held my hand, making me blush hard. I prayed that Leorio and Kurapika didn't notice. God why were there so many guys around? Weren't there any girls who wanted to take the Exam too? I mean, come on! We're not helpless!

I growled inside my head and just stayed there, not really knowing where to go.

Then, a weird kind of alarm went off, and everyone's attention was directed to the far side of the room.

There stood a tall man with graying hair and mustache. He wore a nice looking suit and blank eyes. I shrank back a bit in shock. _'HE HAS NO MOUTH!' _

"Hello." He said…or whatever you could call it, since…well, there wasn't a mouth! "My name is Satotsu. Now that everyone has gathered, the first phase of the Exam can begin." He gestured in front of him. "If you'd kindly follow me now."

He started walking ahead, and the entire group of examinees followed. I stayed near the others so I wouldn't get lost.

So we walked.

And walked.

And walked.

And walked.

And walked.

I was getting annoyed. "This is insane. If this is the first phase, then why is it supposed to be dangerous?"

"Rhia, stop talking." Kurapika said quietly.

"And why should I listen to you Blondie?"

He growled silently and didn't answer right away. Then he said, "Haven't you noticed that he's getting a little faster?"

"Huh?" I looked at Satotsu. He _did _look like he was moving faster, but he didn't seem to be getting tired. I furrowed my brow. _'What is the deal with this guy?'_

Then I _really _noticed it when he picked up the pace.

In only a matter of seconds, we were suddenly running. _Really fast. _

I growled loudly. I just hated running-no, I _loathed _it with a fiery passion!

"Rhia, you're going to get left behind!" Gon called, as he was getting ahead of me.

'_Damn…' _"Hey wait up!" I called, trying to catch up. But it was no use.

"Fine…" I mumbled. "I'll just have to use my last resort."

And with that, I stopped running. I reached down to the bottoms of my shoes and hit the sole.

Almost instantly, a wheel popped out. (A/N: Think "Heelies".) I did the same thing to the other shoe, and was soon back with the crowd, but now I was going faster.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Leorio yelled at me.

"No it isn't." I said, turning to him so that I was now rolling backwards.

"She has a point." Kurapika said, jogging beside Leorio. "Satotsu said to follow him. He never said how."

Leorio growled. "Well I don't think it's fair."

"Newsflash." I said, slowing down so I was in his face. The wheels made me taller as well. "Life isn't fair." I stated shortly. I could see the glowing from under my shirt so I spun around and skated farther away.

'_Whew. That was close.' _I thought. I reached under my top and brought out my pendant.

A crescent moon. The current color was fading back to silver, so I stuck it back under my shirt. I had had the necklace for as long as I could remember, and I never, EVER took it off. And yet…I didn't know why it was so important to me. It couldn't have been from my mother. She abandoned me when I was very young. And I doubt I ever had a father. I held the moon close to my heart. All I knew was that whoever gave it to me was very close to my heart. All I knew was that I loved them with all my heart and soul.

"Hey he's cheating too!" Leorio cried.

"For the last time, it's not cheating." Kurapika explained.

I saw a boy roll past me. He was the same boy from before, the one with the white hair. He only looked at Leorio and then at Gon, who was grinning.

"Hi! My name's Gon! What's yours?" he asked.

The kid didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question. "How old are you?"

"Huh? Oh I'm twelve." Gon answered.

The kid just kind of stared at him for a moment, and then jumped off his skateboard, running beside Gon. I raised an eyebrow. _'Strange kid…' _I thought. So then they started talking about something, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. I slowed down a bit so I could join in. They were saying something about ages.

"Oh Leorio are you trying to get him to 'respect his elders'?" I asked, using air-quotes.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm not much older than you guys!"

"What? No way." Gon said.

"Of course you are." I smirked.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Leorio said. "Fine! Just for that I'm never speaking to any of you ever again!"

"Doesn't ruin my day." I said.

"Unbelievable…" Kurapika trailed off.

"Hey, does anyone smell something…sweet?" Gon suddenly asked, his nose in the air.

I sniffed. "I don't smell anything."

"Neither do I." Kurapika said.

Gon frowned. "I was sure I smelled something…"

LATER…

"How long have we been running?" Gon asked.

"About five hours." came Tompa's voice.

"Five hours?" I cried. "That long?"

"Rhia, please shut up." Kurapika asked in aggravation. "You shouting doesn't help much."

I ignored him.

"Leorio!" Gon suddenly cried.

We all stopped running and looked back to see Gon with Leorio, who was panting on the ground.

"Is he okay?" Tompa asked, going over.

Kurapika also rushed over. "Maybe you should take a rest." He suggested.

"No! I can do this…all day!" Leorio cried, trying to go farther. "I…I will be a Hunter!"

"Not if you're on the ground." I remarked.

Kurapika sent a glare at me.

"Hey, there's that smell again." Gon said.

I sniffed. Now I did smell something sweet…but I couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"I recognize that smell." Tompa said. "It's the Sap of the Healing Tree." (A/N: Is that the right name?) "Hunters often use it in the forest when they're tired. One whiff, and you're good to go." He looked down at Leorio. "I think he could use some."

"No…I don't!" Leorio tried to argue, falling to his knees again.

"Leorio…" Gon said. Then he saw that Leorio had dropped his briefcase. Gon swung his fishing pole, and the hook caught the case around the handle. Gon jerked it back to him, bringing the case with it.

The skateboard kid and I stared in awe. The only difference between us was that my mouth was dropped open. _'He never ceases to amaze me…' _I thought.

"Here's your case." Gon said, giving it to Leorio.

"Here, I'll take care of him." Tompa said, putting Leorio's arm around his shoulders.

"But Tompa-the Exam!" Gon reminded. "You won't make it!"

"You wanna know why I failed 35 times? I'm a sucker for anyone who needs help." Tompa said, a wry grin on his face.

"…Thanks." Leorio said quietly.

"Now you guys go and catch up. Don't worry about your friend." Tompa said again, walking away. We started to go back, but Gon stopped.

"Gon?" Kurapika asked. "What is it?"

"I know Tompa said that Leorio would be okay, but I have this feeling…" Gon said, trailing off. He stared in the direction that Leorio and Tompa had taken. "…Something's not right."

"Gon…" Kurapika said.

"I'm going after them." Gon announced, putting his fishing pole over his shoulder.

"I'll go with you." Kurapika said, walking over to Gon. They looked at me.

"Rhia?" Gon asked. "What about you?"

"Gon, don't even bother asking her." Kurapika said darkly. "She doesn't care."

Ouch…wow he sure knew how to crush a person. But I don't think that any one of hem had any kind of idea about how much I really _did _care. I really did care about them-all of them! They were my friends, and friendship is something I value above pretty much everything else.

Gon frowned and followed Kurapika down the dark path. I watched them go until I couldn't see them anymore. I sighed. What now?

"There is no Healing Tree."

I spun around and found the skateboard boy. He was just looking at me with a blank, yet honest face.

"What?"

"There is no Healing Tree." He repeated. "Your friends are easy to fool."

"So Tompa…" I trailed off, returning my gaze to where my friends had been.

"Tricked them. I don't think that the end will be pretty for them…" he said slowly.

I balled my hand into a fist. "Why that double-crosser." I was getting mad now. "He's gonna get it now."

"I'll come with you." the kid said. He looked at me. "What's your name?"

"You first." I said, gazing ahead.

"No you."

I sighed. I really didn't have time for this. "Rhia. Now you?"

"Killua." He said. He rode on his skateboard as I rode on the wheels in my shoes.

"_I don't think that the end will be pretty for them…"_ Killua's warning resounded in my mind. What could he have meant by that? What was going to happen to Gon and Leorio? And what about Kurapika?

I was so busy worrying about them, I didn't even bother asking myself, 'Why am I worried about Blondie?'

*huffs* THAT TOOK WAY TOO LONG! So sorry guys, but I have been really busy, and I'm also managing another story here, and I have exams coming up…oh it's crazy. But I hope you like this chapter! It took a lot of time to do. So, what do you think about Killua? Is he in character? And…gasp! Rhia…cares? OMG! Read&Review everyone! It will make my day so much better! Till next time! Tee hee!


	7. Hallucinations

Hi! The next chapter is here! Tee hee! I hope you enjoy! And I hope you review! *hint, hint* So please let me know! *sigh* Now time for the disclaimer. *moans* Do I have to do it? It feels so…degrading.

Gon: Rhia doesn't own anything but herself! Yay!

Me: *sweat-drops* Okay that makes it even worse.

Kurapika: Well, it's true. You _don't _own anything.

Me: Watch it Blondie. I'm the author and I can make anything happen!

Kurapika: Technically-

Me: Back to the story!

Chapter 7: Hallucinations

RHIA'S P.O.V

"_I don't think that the end will be pretty for them…"_ Killua's warning resounded in my mind. What could he have meant by that? What was going to happen to Gon and Leorio? And what about Kurapika?

I was so busy worrying about them, I didn't even bother asking myself, 'Why am I worried about Blondie?'

I was skating along the strange path with Killua. I had absolutely no idea where I was going, and what was going to happen.

"_I don't think that the end will be pretty for them…"_

Killua's warning kept going off in my head. What kind of ending could he be talking about? Well, he was obviously talking about some kind of death, but I didn't want to think about that.

Then we saw Tompa ahead of us. He was grinning like an evil idiot. Oh wait…he WAS an evil idiot! Anyone who tried to mess with my friends was definitely an idiot.

"Heh heh. Works every time. I'll hear them any minute now…"

I took off my necklace slowly and went towards him.

"Hear what?" I growled.

He squealed when he saw me and Killua. "Oh…uh-"

Killua skated up in his face. "Let me give you some advice." He said. "Those who betray others will soon be betrayed themselves. If you want I can prove it to you…right now."

"Uh…no thanks." Tompa said, backing away. Unfortunately for him, he backed right into me. He spun around as I put the tip of my sword at the base of his neck. My eyes were closed.

"You piece of scum." I snarled. "You're nothing but a coward Tompa. A coward who enjoys seeing the failures of others."

He didn't say anything, aside from the little gasps every now and then.

"If you've done anything to harm any one of my friends…" I opened my eyes now, letting him see how pissed I was. "I will make sure you die in a very, _very _painful way. Do I make myself clear?"

He didn't say anything. He didn't even nod. All he did was run away as fast as he could. As soon as he did, I put my necklace back on.

"You're good." Killua remarked.

I looked at him. "Oh…thanks." _'I think…' _I thought. Killua was like no one I'd ever met. And I had to admit…he was kind of cute too. Suddenly, I had the urge to go and mess up his hair. It looked like a cloud for God's sake! So fluffy!

"Come on." He said, getting back on his skateboard as I sheathed my sword.

"Right." So Killua and I continued down the path. The smell was getting stronger now, and I was beginning to feel light-headed.

"Rhia, this way!" Killua called to me. I followed him down another path, but then I got a little…well, sidetracked. I stopped at the entrance to another path. I felt…called to go there. Killua didn't notice me stop, so he kept going. But I went down a different path.

(A/N: This next scene contains some scary images. Not for readers with a weak stomach. But I know you're going to read it anyways. Just don't kill me for this! Even though it will come up again later…)

I walked down, the smell getting stronger and stronger.

Then, the world around me dissolved. I was too surprised to cry out, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I found myself in another place.

I was in what looked like an abandoned hotel room. The walls were dirty and the bed was messed up. The room itself was dark and rather depressing. Judging from the fact that no light was coming through the windows, I guessed that it was late at night. But…the room had a familiar feeling to it. I heard something creak to my right, and I looked over to see a light coming from the bathroom. My eyes widened in horrifying realization.

"No…no, no, no. This can't be real. This has to be a dream." I said to myself. Despite that, I walked forward towards the bathroom. I put my hand on the handle and opened the door. What I saw horrified me beyond description.

There in the bathroom lay a little girl, only about five years of age. Wide blue eyes stared at me, blank and lifeless. Short blonde hair framed her snow white face, now spattered with red.

She was dead.

Bright red blood ran from her tiny little body onto the floor, staining the once-white tile. She had been stabbed numerous times in the chest, and her face was frozen in an expression of horror and fear.

I knew her.

She was my only friend. And now she was dead. But who…?

Standing over her was a thin man, with dark hair. His black eyes were soul-sucking, and yet they gleamed with maniacal pleasure. In his upraised hand, he held a large butcher knife, poised to strike.

He grinned at me.

"Heh heh. Did you enjoy the show Rhia?"

"MARIAH!" I screamed.

Then the whole world went black, and I knew nothing more. But her face was stuck in my mind.

Mariah.

"Rhia! Rhia wake up!"

I grimaced. _'What…what's going on?' _

"Rhia!"

I could hear voices calling me, and they sounded familiar. But…who were they?

"Is she breathing?"

"I don't know."

"Let me see."

I tried to open my eyes. I felt someone holding me.

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"Yay! Rhia's alive!"

I saw four blurry images above me. I figured that the one closest was holding me.

"Rhia, you okay?"

"What color is the sky?"

"You idiot…" I said weakly. "Leorio, it's blue."

"I think she's fine."

I growled. "Of course I'm okay." I tried sitting up and now found who had been holding me.

Kurapika.

Oh…awkward. I blushed deeply when my eyes met his. I heard Leorio whistle, which made me jump up.

"Don't be stupid!" I yelled at him.

He only chuckled. "I didn't do anything."

"Rhia, what happened?" Gon asked. "Killua came and told us about the Tree of Hallucinations, and then we heard you scream."

I looked at Killua. "It would have been helpful if you would have told me what the damn tree does!"

"You didn't tell her?" Leorio asked.

Killua shrugged. "I was going to, but she disappeared too quickly."

"And you didn't come and find me?" I cried.

"I was kind of busy helping with him too ya know." Killua said gesturing to Kurapika. "You're not the only one with…difficult pasts."

I looked at Kurapika, who had a light blush on his face, and wasn't looking at us. What could have happened…wait, didn't he say something about his past on the ship? I racked my brains, trying to remember. Then I remembered what he had said…

"_I'm the only survivor of the Kurta Clan. Ten years ago all of my brethren were brutally massacred. That gang of thieves, the Phantom Troupe, is responsible. And I am determined to have my revenge." _

So…he must have seen something relating to that. I suddenly felt sorry for him.

"Rhia, let's go." Gon said, taking my hand. I blushed again.

"But how are we going to catch up to the others?" Leorio asked.

"With this." Killua said, bringing out a tiny little capsule from his pocket.

"And what's that?" Leorio asked as Killua threw it at a wall. And then it exploded.

"A bomb?" Leorio yelled. Killua smirked.

LATER…

Okay, so we made it back to the others. By blowing up a wall. Crazy, I know, but it's true.

When we landed in the tunnel, Leorio was the first to spot Tompa. He went over to him. "What kind of a game are you playing?" he yelled in his face. Tompa just chuckled nervously. Oh but I had to give him my fair share too.

Once again, my sword tip was at his neck.

"I don't think you have any idea what that could have done to someone." I growled. "Just what exactly did you think would happen?"

"Oh I knew what would happen. You would relive your worst memories, and then go hopelessly insane." Tompa grinned, very similar to the one the murderer in my memory had. I snarled.

"You better watch yourself from now on Tompa." I spat. "One wrong move against my friends, and I'll be after you, until you can't run anymore." Yeah, I'll admit it. I like revenge. It's a flaw.

"Rhia, let him go." Gon said.

I sheathed my sword once more and moved forward.

And then, we were suddenly outside.

"What is this place?" I asked aloud.

We were in some kind of marsh, and it was suddenly really hot.

"Welcome to the Milsee Wetlands." Satotsu said, gesturing to the misty jungle.

"This is it?" Killua asked. He sounded disappointed.

"What's wrong Killua?" Gon asked.

"Oh nothing. I was just hoping for something a little more challenging."

'_Yeah. He's unique alright.' _I thought. Then we heard a voice cry out.

"Wait!"

We all turned around and saw that there was a man to the left. He was very battered, and was dragging some kind of sack.

"Don't listen to him!" he cried.

"Who are you?" a bald headed guy asked.

"He's an imposter! The real Examiner is me!"

I blinked in shock. Oh God…more drama. How was this one going to end?

How was that one? I'm really sorry about Rhia's hallucination, but that's what happened. I mean, I could have made it a lot worse, but I actually toned it down. I hope the little warning helped some people. So…what do you think of Rhia now? Is she really as bad as you thought? Or do you think it's a product of her past? And what's with her necklace? And _what _was it about her eyes that scared Tompa away? Please let me know! Again, sorry about the memory. Till next time! Tee hee!


	8. A Murderous Magician

Hi! It's me again. Time for another chapter of my story! Yay! *cheering in background* So here we go. And now…*groans*…the disclaimer.

Kurapika: *with an evil grin* Rhia doesn't own anything. Nothing at all.

Me: Why are you so malicious? I haven't done anything to you! …Yet.

Kurapika: What was that?

Me: Nothing! There's the disclaimer, so where's the story?

By the way, I would like to thank all who have reviewed this story! Special thanks go to **Yileen** who has given me some of the nicest reviews! *more cheering* I recommend her HunterxHunter fic to you all, titled **Hunter x Hunter Redone.** Truly a work of genius! So here we go!

Chapter 8: A Murderous Magician

RHIA'S P.O.V

"The real Examiner is me!"

Oh joy. Now what were we going to do?

"How is that true?" Gon asked.

"He's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that live in this marsh!" the guy yelled.

"A Man-Faced Ape?" I repeated. "Please do clarify what you're speaking of."

The guy threw down the sack he was carrying. My eyes widened in…well, to put it simply, it was gross.

There was this…thing in the sack. And my 'oh-so-brilliant-mind' guessed that it was the Man-Faced Ape that had been mentioned. I really don't want to go into details.

"This is a Man-Faced Ape." He said. He pointed to Satotsu. "He's one of them! He knocked me unconscious earlier and now he's posing as me!"

"You know, he does seem strange." The bald guy said. Oh what was his name! Why didn't I pay attention when Tompa was telling us their names? Oh wait, I know why-because he's a freaking jerk!

"All he wants to do is lead all of you astray, and then he and the other creatures are going to eat you!"

I grimaced. "Oh well that's nice."

Suddenly, three white/black objects flew out of nowhere. I dropped to the ground, since I didn't have a very good experience with flying objects. I heard them hit something, and I looked up.

It turned out to be playing cards, which had sliced into the man's face. I closed my eyes as he fell to the ground.

"Need help?"

I looked up to see Gon's hand extended to me. I took it and he helped me up.

"Thanks."

"No problem!" Gon said with a smile.

"Who threw those?" I asked aloud.

"I see I see." Said the voice which had thrown them. I looked that way and immediately averted my gaze.

Hisoka.

Something about that guy just made the blood freeze in my veins. Oh he was so creepy! I shivered. Turns out that the Man-Faced Ape was still alive-I mean the one from the sack-and so it then tried to run away. But Hisoka threw two more cards at it with a flick of his wrist. When the cards made contact with the ape, it was far away, but I could still see it fall to the ground.

"Well this clears everything up." Hisoka continued with a…creepy smile. He gestured to Satotsu. "You're the real deal. A Hunter wouldn't have any trouble dodging a simple attack like that."

Apparently Hisoka had thrown four cards at Satotsu, who had caught them all! I was in awe. This guy was cool. Besides the 'no mouth' thing. Those cards were razor sharp, and he caught them all! And without one single scratch!

"I'll take this as a compliment." Satotsu said, dropping the cards. "But the next time you use such methods against me, you shall be disqualified. Do I make myself clear?"

Hisoka shrugged. "Yes yes. I was only having fun playing 'Examiner'."

Then these huge birds of prey-like vultures-swooped down and carried away the corpses. It wasn't a pretty sight to see. I heard a small sigh and looked over to see Gon come next to me.

"Gon?" I asked softly. "Is something wrong?"

"It can't be helped." Satotsu said, coming next to Gon. "It's the cycle of life here. Which is why you all must be very careful. The Milsee Wetlands are full of dangers, some of them completely unknown to us. So we can't warn you about everything. You have to watch out for yourselves."

I blushed when he looked at me. God why do I bush so much? It wasn't a big deal really. I'd just never been this close to an actual _Hunter _before. It gave me the chills. Not the kind from Hisoka, these were…excited chills. Like when you know something exciting is going to happen, and your heart is pounding. That's how mine felt. You know why?

Because this was the Hunter Exam.

"Let's get going shall we?" Satotsu said, walking forward.

We all followed him, and I ended up in the back.

With Kurapika and Leorio. Oh joy…

Did I say walking? I meant running!

'_I HATE THIS!' _I thought to myself. I wasn't a runner. But I probably already mentioned that. Then, there was this weird mist that came upon us without warning.

"What is this?" Leorio cried. I looked over to him and just barely saw him through the mist. I was getting lost!

"Ah!" I cried. "Leorio! Wait up!"

"Rhia?" he answered. "I can't see you!"

"Well I can't see you either!" I returned. Now I could hardly see three feet in front of me. "Leorio?" I called.

No answer.

I stopped running, which was a really stupid idea. But I was scared. I was lost in this marsh with man-eating monsters. Not exactly the way I'd planned to go through this exam. But then again, I didn't really expect to make friends here either.

"Leorio?" I called again. "Gon? Killua?" my voice was getting shaky. "B-Blondie?" Then I suddenly heard screams. Something was attacking the people in front of me. Hearing these screams reminded me of the hallucination. But I couldn't remember if…I'd heard her scream or not.

I don't think I did.

I was freaking out now. I hugged myself, trying to stop my body from shaking, but it didn't work. "Blondie! Where are you? Gon? ANYONE!"

Then someone grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.

"AH!" I cried.

"Will you shut up?"

I felt so relieved at the voice. "Blondie?"

"Rhia, why did you stop?" he asked. I could just make out his figure through the mist. "That was really stupid! Didn't you listen to Satotsu?"

"Yes I did!" I retorted. "And I was following you and Leorio but then I got lost in the mist." A sudden thought occurred to me and I frowned.

"Hey Blondie!" I yelled.

"What?" Kurapika answered.

I tried to trip him by swinging my legs at his, but he jumped over me. I felt myself hit the ground.

"Rhia what was that for?" he yelled.

"I was making sure you weren't one of those apes." I explained, standing up. "And you obviously aren't."

Kurapika came towards me so I could see him better. He rolled his eyes.

"Rhia, don't be so-"

"So what?" I cried. "I'm making sure! It's very possible you know! I mean come on! Don't the monsters always go for the girls?"

"You're stereotyping monsters Rhia."

I groaned. "Never mind. Let's just find the others."

"Finally." Kurapika said, taking my hand again.

I blushed about as red as a cherry. "Uh…is that REALLY necessary?"

"Do you want to get lost again?" he asked.

"No-"

"Then please stop complaining." Kurapika asked. He sounded stressed. I frowned again. For as long as I'd known him-which was roughly two days by the way-he was the calm one. So what could possibly make him act like this? And why now?

Suddenly, as if by a miracle, I could see Leorio again. (A/N: I know that in the manga/show, if you got lost in the mist, you were dead. But hey, it's Rhia. And apparently, she never gets lost. Ha.)

"Hey! Leorio!" I called.

He didn't turn his head but I heard him answer. "Rhia? Is that you?"

"No, it's Killua. Who else could it be?"

"Calm down! I was worried about you!"

I blinked in shock. Worried? I couldn't remember the last time someone had worried about my safety.

"You disappeared and then Kurapika went to find you." Leorio said.

I had the feeling that Kurapika was blushing.

I didn't know what to say. What could I say? I didn't know how to react! Then there were these weird moths that flew in our faces.

"What are these?" I asked.

"They're moths, don't let them touch you!" Kurapika answered.

"I kind of figured that one out Blondie." I said. "What do they do?"

I got my answer when the guy who had been next to me fell over. He seemed to be asleep.

"They're Soporific Moths!" Kurapika continued. "They'll put you in a deep, deep sleep if you breathe in the powder from their wings!"

My eyes widened. It was like all of the creatures in this marsh were helping each other get food. And we were the food!

Then, it seemed as thought there was a wall of solid white in front of us, causing everyone I could see to stop. I looked all around. All I saw was white.

We were trapped inside the fog! But what scared me the most was that one minute I could hear people, the next I couldn't. It was completely silent now. Not even a whisper. All that could be heard was the quiet sounds of the wildlife.

And the sound of my own terrified beating heart.

I instinctively moved closer to Kurapika. He was the closest, and I doubted that at a time like this, he would get annoyed if I hid behind him. Plus, he was like, almost half a foot taller than me. (A/N: Yes. I will admit it here. I am 4"11 and ½. Kurapika is 5"7. Good God why is everyone taller than me?)

I was getting a very bad feeling. And it was soon proven to be correct.

All of a sudden, numerous playing cards came out of the mist, headed straight for us. I drew my sword and deflected some with Kurapika. But some other people weren't as lucky. Most of them got hit, and fell to the ground. Leorio got hit in the arm, and he yelled out in pain. I wasn't hiding behind Kurapika anymore. Oh I was still scared, but now I was standing next to him, sword at the ready. Did I mention that I'm kind of bipolar? Heh, I guess not. Well I am.

I tensed when I saw a figure coming from the mist. And I started shaking again when I saw who it was.

Hisoka.

"What are you doing?" Leorio yelled, holding his arm.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hisoka asked in that creepy voice of his. "I'm playing Examiner. It's really fun, you should try it sometime."

"I think I'll pass." I said.

Hisoka looked at me. I instantly put my guard up.

"It's very interesting to see a pretty young girl like yourself here." He cooed. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"Are you stupid?" I asked.

"Rhia…" Kurapika warned.

"I'm here to pass the Hunter Exam!" I cried, stomping my foot. "And I'm not about to let you stop me!"

"Oh you have a fire in your eyes." Hisoka said with a grin. "I like girls with spunk."

I frowned. Blah. He was so weird. "Well I don't like you. So dream on Hisoka."

I got a chill down my spine as his name left my lips. Okay what the #$%? Seriously? I am going to act like this around EVERY guy I meet?

Hisoka started playing with his deck of cards. "I told myself to stay calm during the first round, but…" Hisoka said. "The first round is a bit too easy for me. So I decided to give the jury a helping hand!" he smirked. "It's my turn to judge you…"

"Judge us? Are you crazy?" asked a guy who was still standing.

"You're human just like us!" another cried. "If we lose the Examiner in this fog, then you'll be disqualified too!"

"I'm beginning to doubt that he's human…" Kurapika mumbled.

I looked at him strangely, but didn't say anything. I had to agree with him on this one. Hisoka didn't seem human at all to me!

All at once, Hisoka threw a card at the man who had said he was human. It hit him square in the forehead, and he fell over without a word.

"Please behave." Hisoka said, just glancing at the man on the ground. "Do not compare me to the likes of you."

Suddenly, the rest of the guys in the area surrounded Hisoka, armed to the teeth with all kinds of weapons. Hisoka didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"There's no way we can let a murderer like you take the title of _Hunter._" One of them said, fingering a baseball bat covered in nails. I cringed. It looked nasty.

"Now _we'll_ do the rest a favor and make sure you can't present yourself." Said another, twirling a pole in his hand.

"Is that so?" Hisoka asked. "All these weapons?" he smirked. "I bet I can take you all out. With just one card."

'_I don't doubt it. Not one bit.' _

Then they all lunged at Hisoka, and I saw what can only be described as the most amazing acrobatic moves. I would have been highly impressed, but this was Hisoka, not some random guy.

In a matter of merely seconds, they were all laying on the ground. Most were dead, and others were just too hurt to move.

I just stood there in shock, with Kurapika at my side wearing a similar expression. Hisoka had moved so fast.

They didn't stand a chance.

"You've failed." Hisoka said, standing among the dead and dying bodies. He then looked over at us. "Only you four are left."

I glanced over to my right and saw that there was another boy there, about my age. He had the most ridiculous hat on, and to make it worse, it was bright purple. If this hadn't been a life-or-death situation, I would have burst out laughing.

"Listen," he said quietly. "On my signal, we all run in different directions."

"What?" Leorio said.

"I know it's humiliating, but we have to." He said. "I don't want to run either but I really don't want to die."

"The kid's got a point." I said.

"On the count of three." He said. "One. Two. Three."

Then, we scattered. I ran as fast as I possibly could. But I didn't like being by myself. The trees made me feel uneasy and the noises from either side were making me jumpy. And I had the strangest feeling that one of the three boys behind me wasn't going to run away. I stopped running.

What if one of them did go back? Would they live? Would Hisoka hurt them? _'I wouldn't put it past him to.' _I thought grimly. I took a deep breath, swallowed my fear, and ran like hell back to the clearing. I could almost sense someone's stupidity as they were going back to Hisoka. Someone was in danger.

And I wanted to help. For the first time in a long time, I was willing to put myself in danger to protect a friend.

For the first time in a long time…I had a friend I could protect. And this time, nothing, I mean NOTHING could stop me now. A tear fell from my cheek.

'_Mariah. I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you. I couldn't stop you from dying.' _I grimaced. _'But I hope this will somewhat make up for it.' _I could see her porcelain face smiling back at me in my mind. Her clear blue eyes were just like a summer sky, and her hair was like the sun. I kept going. Mariah had been my first friend. I had let her die. Now I had more friends.

I wasn't going to let them die.

Tee hee! How was that one for ya? You learned a little bit about Mariah there, (okay, you probably already knew that stuff) and you will hear of her in later chapters. So…how was it? Did I do okay on this one? It wasn't one of my favorite parts so I don't know it that well. But please let me know what you think! And oh…Rhia IS NOT BOY-CRAZY. Just to let you know. I noticed that I was making her blush every time she encountered a boy. But no, there's only one boy she likes…(and I bet you can guess who it is.) So, Read&Review everyone! Tee hee!


	9. Escaping the Mist

Hey! OMG the 9th chapter is already here! Getting closer and closer to the estimated end… But it's not over yet! I have more chapters for ya!

Disclaimer time. Crap…

Kurapika: Don't be such a baby Rhia.

Me: Shut it Blondie.

Kurapika: Are you ever going to call me by my name?

Me: *thinking*

Kurapika: Don't strain yourself. *chuckles*

Me: *resisting urge to slap the 'you-know-what' outta Kurapika* No. I'll stick with Blondie. It sounds…cuter.

Kurapika: Oh great. Just what I need. To sound 'cute'. You disturb me.

Me: I disturb everyone.

Gon: Rhia owns nothing but herself!

Me: Gon where'd you come from?

Gon: *grins* Nowhere.

Me: Enough of this. You have the disclaimer, there you go. Can we get on with the damn story already?

Kurapika: You're the one writing it.

Me: Shut. Up.

Chapter 9: Escaping the Mist

RHIA'S P.O.V

I ran and ran back to the clearing. Just as I got there, I could see that I had been right.

Leorio hadn't been able to stay away. He carried a large pole that he didn't have before.

He was walking towards Hisoka with a grin.

"I couldn't do it after all." Leorio said. "I guess I have way too much pride."

Hisoka smirked.

My mind couldn't register what was happening now. All I could understand was that Leorio was being a COMPLETE AND TOTAL IDIOT because he was fighting Hisoka. It seemed as though everything was in slow motion.

'_You idiot!' _I argued with myself. _'You said you were going to help your friends! You promised Mariah you would! YOU PROMISED HER!' _

But no matter what arguments I came up with, I couldn't get my legs to move. They were frozen stiff from fear. Fear of Hiskoa, fear for Leorio…fear for me too! What if Hisoka found me hiding in the bushes? He'd kill me!

Then as Leorio swung down his pole, Hisoka moved. He was so fast I almost didn't notice him move! But then I saw Hisoka appear behind Leorio, and his hand was aimed for Leorio's neck!

I tried to cry out to warn him, but fear kept me silent. I could only watch in horror as Hisoka's hand got closer and closer. This was it. I was going to let it happen again.

I WAS LETTING ONE OF MY FRIENDS DIE!

But then, out of nowhere came a small red ball, and it hit Hisoka squarely on the temple. I whipped my head to the side and-to my amazement, might I add-I saw Gon standing there, fishing pole in hand. He was panting heavily, as if he'd just run a great distance.

I felt relieved. But then reality kicked in again. Gon was here! WITH HISOKA!

"You're pretty good." Hisoka said. He was giving Gon the creepiest look I'd ever seen. "And with a fishing pole? What an interesting weapon." He began walking to Gon. "Let me see."

"Hey! Your fight is with me!" Leorio yelled, getting ready to punch Hisoka.

But once again, things moved so fast I could barely see. Seconds later, I realized that Hisoka had punched Leorio in the face, knocking him out cold.

And yet I STILL couldn't move! _'What is wrong with me? I'm just standing here while my friends are getting hurt by a lunatic dressed as a clown!' _

But I had yet to see the most terrifying of all so far.

When Leorio went down, Gon jumped at Hisoka, his fishing pole behind him, ready to swing. But Hisoka intercepted the attack and grabbed Gon in mid-air! And he had grabbed him by the throat!

I felt faint. And yet, I also felt a rush of adrenaline. Suddenly, I could move. My feet sprang from the bushes as I drew my sword.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" I screamed at Hisoka.

"I like girls with spunk." Hisoka repeated.

I jumped at him, my sword in the same position as Gon's fishing pole had been. But I didn't get the same results that Gon did.

No I got worse.

As soon as my feet had left the ground, Hisoka flicked his wrist towards me. Suddenly I felt a searing pain on my neck. My eyes widened in surprise as I fell to the ground. I wasn't unconscious, but I couldn't move.

Again.

This was getting REALLY irritating. I wanted to pound Hisoka so bad right now! What was he going to do to Gon? I faintly heard more footsteps, but I couldn't tell whose they were. I registered that Hisoka was speaking to Gon, but I couldn't make it out.

Man I couldn't do a lot of things.

I don't know how much time had passed before I heard Kurapika yelling.

"Gon! Rhia!"

Gon didn't answer. I knew he was about to go into shock. Who wouldn't after experiencing something like that? I would have died. Oh wait…I was already doing that. I figured that Hisoka must have thrown a card at me, and it hit my neck. Great. I didn't even get past the first phase, and I was already down and out.

Someone then grabbed my shoulders and rolled me over.

"Rhia! Can you hear me?"

What? First Leorio was worried, and now Kurapika? Why did everyone always worry?

"Rhia!" he yelled again.

I had the urge to smack him. God, I didn't lose my hearing! And with the close proximity between our faces, I could have heard him if he whispered. But why couldn't I move?

Then I heard Gon's voice. "…Do you think she needs CPR?"  
I was suddenly able to move. As soon as I heard 'CPR' come out of Gon's mouth, I jumped up s if something had poked me. And I found my voice.

"HUH? NO WAY! NO WAY!" I yelled. I blushed. Before either of them could ask why I had reacted like that, I asked a question myself.

"Hey, where'd Hisoka go? And Leorio?"

Gon explained what happened, and I almost fainted.

AGAIN.

Hisoka had taken Leorio? WHAT THE #$%*?

"Rhia, we don't have time for this." Kurapika said, grabbing my hand again and following Gon, who had already started running.

"_Must _you hold my hand?" I asked.

"Do you really want to get lost?"

"I'm not handi-capped, I can run!" I argued.

"Rhia, Kurapika!" Gon cried. He sniffed the air. "This way!"

Once again, Kurapika and I had very similar expressions. Gon was certainly unlike an kid I'd ever met in my life.

"Are you sure?" Kurapika asked.

"Positive! Leorio's aftershave is easy to recognize! So now we can follow them at a distance."  
I looked around. "Why are there dead animals around?"

"I guess they tried to attack Hisoka." Kurapika answered. "He's leaving a trail."

"Hey, Kurapika?" Gon asked quietly. "Hisoka said that Leorio and Rhia had passed. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Kurapika was silent.

"He said he was playing Examiner. But he was really testing us…" Gon trailed off. "But how does he do it? He just looked at me."

"Maybe, but you did hit him, didn't you?" Kurapika asked.

"I did but, Leorio didn't. He even got knocked out. And Rhia tried to attack him, but he hit her with a card and she didn't move after that."

"And yet they both qualified…" Kurapika trailed off.

"Hey, I'm still here you know." I said. "You don't have to talk about me as if I wasn't here."

"Maybe he sensed you two were somehow connected." Kurapika said, completely ignoring me. "'Killing them now wouldn't bring me any fame.' That must be what he told himself." Kurapika said.

I smacked his head. "You insensitive little dope!"

"Hey! Don't hit my head!" he yelled.

"Blondie, are you blind? Can't you see that your little assumption may have upset Gon?" I said, gesturing to him.

Gon was completely silent as of now.

"Sorry…it's a bit harsh to say that." Kurapika said.

"No it isn't." Gon said. "I believe I'm beginning to understand…the strange sensation I had back there…I was feeling terrible pressure; I wanted to run away but I couldn't turn my back to him…even b defending myself, I knew I couldn't win. I told myself I might die…but on the other hand, knowing all this…" he turned and looked at us. "I was really excited! Strange, huh?"

I smiled. _'He'll never change.' _

Then, we arrived at the end.

I was so relieved, I almost fell against Kurapika. But I managed to restrain myself.

"Now where's Leorio?" I asked. I felt a chill go down m spine and turned around.

There was Hisoka, standing there and grinning at us. I resisted the urge to use Kurapika as a shield again and just glared at him. He pointed over to a tree. I saw Leorio over there.

"Gon, Blondie!" I said, running to Leorio. They followed me quickly, since they were eager to see if he was okay too.

But when we reached Leorio, I had to turn away so I wouldn't laugh.

He had a big, nasty looking punch-mark (A/N: What do you call those?) on his cheek. It took up most of his face.

Kurapika looked him over. "Except for your arm everything seems fine."

"What are you kidding me?" Leorio cried. "What about this thing on my face?"

Kurapika looked straight at him. "I don't see any difference."

It hurt. I wanted to laugh so badly!

"Leorio!" Gon cried. "When did you wake up?"

"Well, after I got here I guess. But I don't remember what happened after we reached the marshes."

'_Oh boy…' _I thought.

We all just kind of looked at him.

Kurapika turned and whispered in my ear, "Do you think we should tell him?"

"Nah." I said.

"We can't get in yet." Said a familiar voice.

"Killua!" Gon cried, rushing to the other boy.

I frowned. "Wait, get in where?"

Kurapika groaned and forced my head to turn. There in front of us was a huge hanger. There was a clock on the front, the hands ticking slowly.

"Welcome to the second phase of the Hunter Exam." Satotsu said from a tree branch.

My eyes grew wide. _'I…I made it. I passed the first phase…I'm alive. I'M ALIVE!' _

"I wonder what the second phase is?" Killua wondered aloud.

I was currently dancing in circles. I honestly hadn't expected to live through the first phase, what with the fact that I can't really run.

I realized something. I didn't do it on my own.

When I was lost, they came and found me.

When I was scared, they came to calm me.

When I was hurt, they came to help me.

When I was slow, Kurapika held my hand so I could run with him.

I couldn't do it alone. I couldn't have done it without them.

I couldn't have done it without my friends. I smiled softly. _'Could this be…is this what friendship feels like? Having someone you can always count on, no matter what kind of situation you're in? I think so.' _

Now all we could do was sit and wait.

For the second phase.

YEAH! I WROTE THIS CHAPTER IN ONE DAY! OMG! So, how was it? kind of rushed, and I know Rhia didn't really do much here, but I couldn't think of anything for her to do. But how did you like Rhia's realization at the end? Please let me know! And oh…is Rhia developing feelings for a certain someone? Tee hee! This is so exciting! Read&Review everyone!


	10. A Cooking Lesson?

Hi! OMG another chapter! YAY! This is so exciting! And I have received quite a few reviews about Rhia and Mariah. I know you want to know more, but you'll have to wait. Rhia's past will be revealed soon.

And for now, here's this chapter!

Gon: Rhia owns nothing! *grins*

Kurapika: Truer words were never spoken.

Me: What did I do to you to make you so evil Blondie!

Kurapika: Evil? I beg your pardon!

Me: Oh my God. *looks up at the ceiling* Okay. Any time now Lord. Take me any time!

Kurapika: Rhia, repeat after me; suicide is not cool.

Me: You idiot! I'm not going to kill myself!

Kurapika: *shrugs* Oh well. Just making sure.

Me: You do know that I'm probably going to…'intensify' that one scene now, right?

Kurapika: *pales* You wouldn't.

Me: Can and am.

Kurapika: Oh God…

Chapter 10: A Cooking Lesson?

RHIA'S P.O.V

I stood there, watching and waiting for the hanger doors to open. Just like everyone else around me. The second phase of the exam was about to begin. Strange growling noises could be heard coming from the hanger.

I moved up to the front of the crowd to get a better view.

"Hey what are you doing here?" asked a really big guy. I mean, HUGE.

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

10, 9…

"Girls aren't supposed to take this Exam!" he laughed.

I growled.

5, 4…

"Oh yeah? How about I kick your ass and then we'll see about that!" I yelled.

"Watch it! Haven't you noticed yet that there aren't any girl Hunters?"

3, 2, 1…DING!

The clock sounded and suddenly, the doors creaked open and revealed two Hunters.

One of which was a girl.

I turned to the big guy. "HA! IN YOUR FACE!"

The man behind the girl was…well, giant. Enormous. Gigantic. And some more words that I just can't think of right now. I realized where the growling was coming from.

His stomach. I sweat-dropped. _'Oh…he's hungry.'_

"So…" the girl said, looking up at the giant. "You hungry?"

"You bet! I'm starving!" he cried. As if in response, his stomach growled again.

"Alright!" the girl said, standing up. "Welcome to the second phase of the Hunter Exam! The test for this phase is…cooking!"

No one said a word.

'_Cooking? Oh crap.' _I thought, crossing my arms. Of course, the one female Hunter I find has to give the most outrageous test of all: cooking!

I couldn't cook to save my life. When I was with Mariah, her cute little face was able to guilt people into giving us food. And what I did after she…was gone, well…I didn't like to dwell on that time of my life. I called them the Years of Hell.

But unfortunately, a cute face wouldn't help me get through this phase. What was I going to do?

"Cooking?" came Gon's voice from beside me. I hadn't even noticed the others come up to me.

"This is unexpected." Kurapika said. "I never thought we'd have to cook something."

"I know how to cook." Gon said. We looked at him.

"Really? What can you make?" Leorio asked.

Gon grinned. "Macaroni and cheese is my specialty."

I anime-fainted. (A/N: You know when a character in anime faints and their legs are still straight up? That's what I mean.)

Leorio laughed. "Great maybe you can make me some!"

Kurapika smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Well, Aunt Mito says that no one makes it like I do." Gon said.

"That's great," Killua stated. "But what are the odds that we'll have to make macaroni and cheese?"

"Expect the unexpected." I said with my arms crossed.

"You will have to first fill his order," the girl said, "and then you'll have to fill mine. The test will be over when we are full."

"Now for my order!" the big guy said. "My order is…a whole roasted pig!"

A murmur went through the crowd.

"And there's a certain kind of pig that lives here in these woods! The Great Stamp!" (A/N: Name check please?) A whole roasted pig? This guy was crazy!

"Let the second round begin!" the girl announced.

Suddenly, everyone around me turned and ran for the forest.

"Rhia what are you waiting for?" Kurapika yelled as he ran ahead of me.

"Yes! This'll be easy to cook!" Leorio cried happily.

"But first we have to catch it." Kurapika stated. "The Great Stamp is a very dangerous kind of pig. We'll have to be careful-"

"YEAH!" Gon yelled, running past us with Killua hot on his heels.

I raised an eyebrow. "Good luck telling him that."

So we ran for a little while, and then we turned a corner.

Kurapika was in front of me, so what usually happens when the person in front of you stops suddenly?

You slam into them, that's what.

So I ran into him, and we both fell on the ground. I landed next to Kurapika.

"Rhia! Kurapika!" Gon cried.

I heard a snort above my head, and slowly looked up at the same time as he did.

There in front of me was a giant black pig. It had beady little black eyes and an enormous snout.

"Rhia, Kurapika." I heard Leorio's voice from behind us. "No sudden movements."

"I'm not moving." I said through my teeth.

"Now come back slowly." Leorio instructed. "Kurapika, start scooting back here."

And with that, Kurapika slowly started crawling backwards.

"Now Rhia you too."

I started too, but apparently that was the moment when the pigs decided, 'Yeah, let's attack these people!'

The pig in front of me started pawing the ground and snorting.

"Rhia, faster!" Gon urged.

I didn't speak. I was getting really scared now.

"Rhia, don't stop!" Leorio said. "Get back here!"

I stopped moving altogether. I was too scared. This giant pig was about to run me over, and I couldn't move.

'_Well…I made it to the second phase. This is a lot farther than I had expected to get.' _I thought to myself.

Then, the pig charged, and I shut my eyes.

"Rhia!" Gon yelled.

I felt someone grab me by my waist and yank me out of the way.

I was expecting it to be Kurapika, but instead, I found myself looking at Killua. I noticed his eyes now that I was up close. They were a dark teal color, and I could see something deep inside, although I didn't know what. But it was…kind of unsettling.

We both fell on the ground, but jumped right back up and ran after the others.

Then Gon suddenly turned around and ran back towards them.

"Gon!" Leorio yelled.

"Are you stupid or something?" I yelled as well. "Gon don't do that!"

Oh I shouldn't have been worried.

Gon jumped up at the right moment and brought his fishing pole down on the pig's head. Hard. It suddenly just keeled over, motionless.

'_Well that was a surprising turn of events.' _I thought, blinking in astonishment.

"Hey guys!" Gon called. "The top of the head is the weak point!"

"Great job Gon!" Killua said with a smile.

LATER…

Okay, I won't go into details about how we got the pigs, it's rather boring. All I did was chuck a rock at it, and it went down. But we cooked them, and I don't know how long that lasted. But…well, I'll admit it. I had a bit of help from Gon when I was trying,- the key word in that phrase is _trying _–to cook the enormous pig.

So while it sat over the fire, I sat and thought. I was thinking about a lot of things, but what I really thought about were Killua's eyes.

There was something in them, an emotion buried deep inside that I could not see. It almost seemed to be some kind of…deep longing for something. But what?

I sighed and scratched my head. Why did I always try and contemplate on life and other things meant for scholars? (A/N: Cause it's fun, that's why.)

So then the pigs were done, and we ran them all back to the Examiners.

I could see the drool forming at the giant's mouth as he looked at all the pigs.

"Oh they look wonderful!" he cried. "Which one should I try first?"

He didn't wait for an answer however, as he began devouring the pigs. I didn't watch because of the sounds I could hear the other examinees making. Oh God it sounded like feeding time at the Zoo.

It was only about ten minutes till he finished the pigs. I was frozen in shock at the huge pile of bones next to him. He ate every…single…one.

'_That's just not right!' _I thought. _'It's impossible to do what he just did!' _And yet, apparently it wasn't impossible. Cause he had done it.

"Oh they were all so good." He said.

"Buhara," the girl Hunter said. "you were supposed to judge them on flavor! Not eat them all!"

"Calm down Menchi." Buhara said, rubbing his stomach. "They all pass in my opinion."

"What?" Menchi cried.

"We all passed?" I repeated. "But that doesn't narrow down the contestants at all."

But Menchi banged on a large gong either way. "It's over! 71 have passed!"

A murmur went through the crowd. How could all of us have passed?

"So now, you'll have to fill my menu." Menchi announced, strutting back and forth. "My order is…sushi."

No one said a word. I raised an eyebrow. _'Sushi? What the hell is that?' _

So…now what could we do? Menchi had given us her order, but it didn't seem as though anyone knew what this…_sushi_ was.

I looked over at Kurapika, since he seemed to know _everything_. The others had the same idea.

"Do you have any idea what sushi is?" Leorio asked.

"I'm not sure. I think I've heard of it somewhere, but I'm not sure." Kurapika said with a frown. "I think it comes from a small island country…but I can't remember where."

Great. Even 'Mr. Know-It-All' didn't know what to do. This test was proving to be near the impossible.

I'm sorry that took so long! But I have to study for exams, and it's proving to be like a nightmare! Please let me know what you think about this chapter, cause I'm not very sure about it. How was Rhia? What about that little interaction she had with Killua? Were people in character? Oh so many questions! And only you my wonderful readers can answer them! The more reviews, you and you'll have a very happy author! If you have a very happy author, then you'll have a very good chapter! It's like a circle. Read&Review guys! Tee hee!


	11. Food Fight!

Hey there! The next chapter is up! HOORAY! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story! It makes me really happy! Keep it up!

Killua: …What am I supposed to say again?

Kurapika: Just that she doesn't own us.

Me: Thanks…

Gon: Rhia doesn't own anything!

Me: Where do you come from?

Gon: *shrugs* I don't know.

Me: Enough of this. Story time!

Chapter 11: Food Fight!

RHIA'S P.O.V

I was confused. What was I supposed to do?

"You all seem bothered…" Menchi said with a smirk. "But don't worry. You can still make them even if you've never seen them." She walked into the hanger. "Follow me."

Everyone followed Menchi into the hanger, and we saw that there were separate stations set up for us.

"Everything is all set up." Menchi said. "There's also rice, which is essential in making sushi. And by the way," she added. "I'll only accept hand-molded sushi."

I felt the urge to fall over. If I was going to fail this exam, I had thought that it would have been because of a life-or-death stage, not a cooking lesson!

"And you can make as many as you want, but don't forget; when I'm full, the test is over." Menchi said with a smile.

'_Like that makes it any better.' _I thought sourly.

"So what do we do?" Gon asked. "Do we only use rice?"

"Judging by the cooking ware," Killua said, holding up a huge knife. "I'd say no."

I sighed. Then I noticed the bald ninja-whose name I had learned was Hanzo-giggling like a complete idiot. He looked really happy about something, and it was making me mad. Some of the other examinees could tell as well. I noticed the boy from earlier, the one with the strange purple hat, and he was frowning.

'_He knows something.' _I thought.

I looked over at Leorio and Kurapika to see how they were doing. About the same as everyone else. I walked over by them.

"Do you know what ingredients we have to use?" Leorio wondered aloud.

"No idea." I said, leaning my elbows on the counter. "I was sure Blondie here would know, but apparently I was mistaken."

Kurapika seemed to be ignoring me.

"I think I've read about this somewhere." He mumbled to himself. "It has something to do with white vinegar and raw fish."

"Raw fish?" Leorio yelled. "Where are we supposed-OW!"

Kurapika had picked up a big wooden spoon and chucked it at Leorio's head.

"Why don't you speak louder you moron!" he said. "There must be ponds or rivers around here!"

We turned around to look at the rest of the room, since everything got very quiet.

Then, everyone ran out towards the forest.

"They were spying on us!" Leorio yelled as we ran.

"If he's reached this stage," Kurapika said to me. "He's hopeless."

"I couldn't agree more." I said.

For this part, I stayed by Gon and Killua, since Gon had a fishing pole. He helped me catch a fish on my own, and then he caught one. We raced back to the hanger as fast as we could.

It was quite a sight. I'd never seen so many fish in all my life; and so many different kinds! Some of them were…well, repulsive. Mine looked like relatively normal trout, except for the fact that the thing was purple and yellow. But some of them didn't even look like fish! They looked like aliens to me.

I started messing with the rice, and trying to copy what Kurapika was doing. Although, it would have helped a lot if he had been doing anything! He was just standing there, staring at it.

"It's not going to tell you how to do this ya know." I said to him. He waved his hand at me.

"Quiet, I'm thinking." He was staring at the thing so hard I was sure it was going to pop soon. But why did he tell me to be quiet when you could've heard Leorio from outside the building?

"Oh yeah! This is easy!" he boasted, making balls out of the rice.

I rolled my eyes. _'Oh boy…'_

Then he put a lid on his dish and walked-no, more like trotted-over to Menchi.

"It's ready!" he announced, pulling off the lid. "I call it Leorio's Special!"

It looked like a ball of rice with fish stuck in it.

Menchi tossed it behind her. "What was that?"

I giggled. The high-and-mighty Leorio was just burned! Oh how I loved those rare little moments!

"Hey I worked hard on that!" he argued.

"You failed." Menchi said simply. "Listen up! Shape and size are crucial to sushi! If you don't get that right, then you can't do it at all!"

One by one, the other contestants went up. When it was Gon's turn, he brought up…well, words can not describe it. But Menchi didn't like it, and she did the same thing that she had done with Leorio.

"That's no better than the first guy!" she yelled.

"I'm no better than Leorio?" Gon said sadly.

"That must make you feel terrible." Kurapika said with his hand on Gon's shoulder. I started giggling.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leorio cried.

I can't tell you how many people went up, and had their food thrown away by Menchi. Oh, wait, yes I can. EVERYONE. Not a single person got it right.

Then came Kurapika's turn. He had been talking to himself, and he walked up to Menchi. In all honesty, his looked similar to Gon's.

"That's no better than the other guy!" she yelled.

Kurapika looked like he was going into shock. I actually fell over I was laughing so hard.

"Hey! Is it that traumatizing to be compared to me?" Leorio yelled.

"…In a word…yes!" I gasped.

"Oh this can't be right!" Menchi yelled. "Doesn't anyone here know anything about culinary art!"

Then Hanzo stepped up. "I believe it's my turn." He said with an annoying air of confidence. He pulled the lid off and said, "How about this?"

To my surprise, Menchi looked pleased. "Oh…this is close to what I ordered." She said. "Okay, here it goes." She used her chopsticks and picked it up, placing it in her mouth. Menchi chewed for a moment, and then turned back to Hanzo.

"No I didn't like it. Please try again."

Then Hanzo blew up at her, and completely blurted out the recipe for sushi. Oh, Menchi looked ready to kill someone.

I didn't really pay much attention at this point. Mostly because Kurapika came over and laughed at my feeble attempt at sushi, saying it was about as good as Leorio's.

I don't know what came over me.

Next thing I knew, Kurapika was standing there, covered in rice. He just stood there, glaring.

I guess I threw a rice ball at him. I blushed and laughed nervously. Then he threw some at me. I threw more at him, and before I knew it, Kurapika and I were having a food-fight with rice. I will honestly say that it was some of the most fun I'd had in a while. Then it got really interesting when my hand somehow found a left-over fish, which hit Kurapika squarely in the forehead. I laughed out loud at that. It was pretty funny. Then he picked up the fish and threw it back at me. But I actually managed to dodge it.

Where'd it go you ask?

Well, it kind of hit Killua in the back of the head, and he turned to glare at us. Kurapika looked about as white as snow, and I looked like I was having a seizure because I was laughing so hard. Killua decided to join in, and chucked some rice balls at us.

Don't ask why no one else had noticed.

But I was having the time of my life there. Kurapika and I joined forces against Killua because of how fast he was throwing rice. We were hiding behind one of the stations when our game was rudely interrupted.

"What!" Leorio yelled.

Kurapika and I glanced at each other in confusion and stood up. Everyone was looking at Menchi.

"Sorry, but I'm full." She said, taking a sip of…whatever was in her cup. "The test is over."

"So…no one passed?" I asked aloud.

"But that's not fair!" a random guy cried. "You didn't even get to try all of the dishes!"

"It doesn't matter." Menchi stated firmly. "I said I'm full, and that when I'm full, the test is over. Go home and try again next year."

"Go home?" Killua repeated.

WHAT? I couldn't go home! No way! I couldn't go!

I didn't have a home to go to.

"You can't give us another chance?" Gon asked.

"I said no kid!" Menchi yelled.

LATER…

Well, you can bet I was feeling dejected now. The exam was over because of a stupid cooking test.

'_What now? I can't wait another year. It took me forever to find out that the boat was at Whale Island. What am I going to do now? I don't have anything left…' _I was depressed.

"Rhia, it's going to be okay." Gon said, coming next to me. He gave me that smile of his. "Everything's going to work out somehow."

I couldn't help but smile back a little. "Thanks Gon."

"NO! I don't care what the Committee says, this is MY decision!" Menchi yelled into a cell phone. I felt bad for whoever was on the other line. She'd been yelling like that for about half an hour.

It was over now.

I felt like I was going to cry.

The Exam was over. The Hunter Exam was over, and now I'd have to find something else to do with my miserable little life.

It had only been the second phase…but now…

I couldn't even finish my thought. I felt tears coming, so I abruptly stood up and ran out the doors.

I stayed in a nearby tree, crying softly. I hadn't cried in years, and I felt silly for doing it now.

I heard a commotion and looked over.

I saw Menchi in front of the hanger. She stretched, and then she leaped towards the forest. She moved so fast, I never would have known she was there at all.

"You coming down?"

I looked down and saw Kurapika at the base of the tree. I blushed and hid my face.

"Rhia, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh what do you think?" I snapped. I didn't mean to, but it just came out like that.

"You know, Gon and Killua are worried about you." Kurapika said. "They wanted to know if you were okay."

"Well I'm fine." I said. I was drying my eyes as he spoke.

"Rhia, come down." Kurapika said. "Menchi's going to be back soon, and…well…"

"Well what?" I asked.

"Rhia, just come down."

I could just imagine the blush on his face. "Leave me alone Blondie."

"Rhia." He said again. This time I heard him climbing the tree. When I looked up, he was right in front of me.

Now I blushed. Again.

"Rhia, come down. Come on."

"But why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "There's no point anymore. The exam is over. Why should I come down?"

"Because…we want you to." He said. "Gon and Killua want you to come back in there. Even Leorio does."

"And you?" I asked. "What about you Blondie? Do you want me to come down?"

Kurapika didn't answer for a minute. Then…

"Yes."

I just looked at him. I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't lying. He wanted me to come down.

LATER…

Well, Kurapika had succeeded in getting me to come down. But I still kept to myself even when I was back in the hanger.

Then Menchi came back with some kind of moss she'd gotten off a Great Horned Bear or something. I didn't really pay any attention.

And then it got interesting.

The big guy- the one who had asked me why I was taking the exam earlier- smashed the side of a station with his fist.

He glared at Menchi. (A/N: I know that this part is a little out of order, but just bear with me. It'll end the same way.)

"I won't stand for this!" he yelled. "I entered this exam to become a Hunter! A Blacklist Hunter! Not some chef!"

So then he and Menchi had an argument, which resulted in Menchi beating the crap outta him. I just sat there and watched the scene unfold before me. Menchi was awesome. She beat up the guy-known as Todo, the Wrestler-with her arms crossed, and with only one leg! It was pretty neat to see.

Then there was a noise from outside, and everyone filed out to see. I wasn't going to go but I heard my name being called, and then suddenly, Gon had grabbed my hand and was leading me towards the doors.

"Come on Rhia." He said. "We don't want you to miss out on anything exciting!"

I smiled. _'Thank you Gon.' _

Once outside, I could see what was going on.

High above us was a blimp, a HUGE blimp, which was directly over head.

"It's the Hunter Association logo!" a man yelled.

The Hunter Association? Why were they coming here? My eyes widened as I saw what seemed to be an elderly man jump from the blimp.

I covered my mouth as he fell.

And landed perfectly, completely unharmed.

Menchi was in shock.

"Chairman…" she said. "What a surprise."

The Chairman of the Hunter Association? Wow. This was important.

'_Does that mean…is there still a chance for the exam to continue?'_

Wow. Another chapter written in just one day. Oh God this seems horribly rushed! No flames please, 'kay? But let me know what you think about this chapter. Well, I'll be getting some more up as soon as I can! I have my own exams to worry about. Read&Review everyone! Tee hee!


	12. CliffDiving

Hey! Chapter 12 is here! Yay! Okay, I hope this will be better than the last one. This took so long to update, I am so sorry! But you know, it was Christmas!

Disclaimer time-I am not doing this!

Kurapika: Come on Rhia, you know you have to.

Me: Shut up Blondie.

Killua: How hard is it to say you don't have anything?

Gon: Yeah, why can't you do it? I can do it, see? Rhia doesn't own anything except herself!

Me: *sweat-drops* Gon, it's easy to say about someone else, but it's not so easy to say about your self.

Gon: Huh?

Kurapika: Oh boy…

Chapter 12: Cliff-Diving

RHIA'S P.O.V

To make things short and sweet, the Chairman, Netero, discussed the problem with Menchi. The problem that no one had passed this phase. He didn't seem mad at her…he seemed…amused.

Menchi apologized for her behavior and Netero laughed happily, saying what a remarkable young woman she was. It was then decided: all of the examinees were going to have another chance!

I felt so joyous at that moment. So happy. I felt tears forming in the corners of my eyes. That's how important this exam was to me.

"Why don't you give them another chance Menchi?" Netero suggested.

"Okay." Menchi said, thinking. Then she looked up. "Chairman, can you take us to that big rock over there?" she asked, pointing at a giant plateau far away.

Netero chuckled. "I think I can arrange that." He said.

LATER…

My face was plastered to the giant window. We were all in the giant blimp that Netero had come in, and I was so…ecstatic.

I loved flying! It made me feel so free! Like I had nothing to worry about; not a care in the world! And who doesn't love to feel free?

"That's where we're going?" Gon asked aloud, coming to join me at the window. Below us was the plateau. But I now saw that it was really a deep canyon, with a raging river running through. What could we possibly do there?

Gon noticed the grin on my face.

"You like this Rhia?" he asked.

I looked at him. "Oh yeah. I love flying!"

It wasn't long until the blimp landed, and my little aviation experience ended. We all filed out and onto the top of the gorge.

"What are we doing now?" Leorio asked.

"The challenge this time is…" Menchi announced. "A boiled egg!"

"A what?" I repeated with my hands on my hips.

"What do you mean?" asked a random guy.

Menchi strutted over to the side of the cliff. She took off her shoes and then turned her head to grin at us. "Watch and learn."

Then…SHE JUMPED!

Everyone, including myself gasped in surprise, and some horror as Menchi disappeared over the cliff.

I ran forward, despite Gon yelling at me. I had to find where she went! I looked over the side and saw her swinging on what looked like…

My eyes widened and I backed off instantly.

"Rhia?" Gon asked as he and the others came over. "What's wrong?"

'_Someone just jumped off a cliff, what do you think?' _my mind retorted hotly.

"This is home to the Spider Eagle." Netero explained. "The Spider Eagle makes a substance very similar to spider webs to protect its young from the predators in the area. She's gone down to retrieve one of the eggs."

At this point, Menchi came back up, with an egg that was dark gray in color, and had dark brown spots all over it.

"This is the egg you'll be cooking for the task." She announced cheerfully.

A lot of people stepped back.

"This is insane." One of them mumbled.

"Who'd actually be crazy enough to jump down there for an egg?" Todo wondered.

He got his answer.

"This'll be a piece of cake." Killua said lightly.

"I've been waiting for something like this!" Gon cried, looking down into the gorge.

"Yeah, it's a lot better than having to cook some dish I've never heard of." Leorio said.

Kurapika nodded with his eyes closed. "I hear ya."

"Now this is more like it." I added.

One by one, we jumped. I was fine with doing it now that I knew what we had to do.

Gon and Killua jumped off together, and as Leorio jumped, I got a sneaky idea, and sauntered over to Kurapika.

"This is for making fun of me." I giggled.

"What?" he turned half way when I '_accidentally_' shoved him a little.

Yeah, I kinda pushed him off a cliff.

"Rhia!" he yelled, grabbing my wrist. "If I'm going then you're coming with me!"

"What-BLONDIE!" I nearly screamed as both of us fell down the cliff-face.

We each caught a separate string. Kurapika seemed fine, but I wasn't the most acrobatic girl in the world. Nothing like Menchi.

I hung onto the string for dear life. I didn't dare look below me as I heard other contestants scream as they fell to a watery grave.

"Rhia, come on!" Kurapika yelled.

"I can't!" I retorted.

"Try opening your eyes." he said in exasperation.

"No!"

"Rhia, I'm right here."

Now I slowly opened my eyes, and I saw Kurapika standing on a string right in front of me. He looked like a tight-rope walker the way his arms were crossed.

"See, you're fine." He said.

"But I can't stand like that." I said gesturing to his feet.

"Rhia, right above your head is a Spider Eagle nest. I've already gotten my egg, so you need to get one for yourself."

"What!" I yelled.

"Just look up." He sighed.

I did look up, and I saw what appeared to be a bulgy gray sack hanging from a string above me.

"Now just reach in and grab one."

I gave him a look.

"I'm not doing it for you." he said with a smirk. "Now come on Rhia, it's not that hard."

"Easy for you to say Blondie." I snapped. I glanced up at the gray sack above me and gingerly put my hand in it. I felt around and grasped one of the eggs, pulling it out as I went.

"See?" Kurapika smirked. "How hard was that?"

"Terrible." I said sarcastically. "Now how do we-" I was cut off at this point by someone crying out for help.

Kurapika and I looked over and saw the big guy-Todo- falling. My eyes widened while Kurapika's expression didn't change. But it did when Gon jumped after him!

"Gon!" Kurapika cried when he saw Gon free-falling. Gon caught Todo by grasping his hand, and flung his fishing line away, catching it on a rock. It held them so they didn't fall.

"Gon! Are you alright?" Leorio asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." Gon answered.

I sighed in relief. "That was close."

"I'll say." Kurapika agreed. "Now just follow me."

"I'm not handi-capped." I growled, although I was secretly grateful for him putting up with me.

"Well with the way you claim not to be able to do anything I never would have noticed." Kurapika teased.

I was about to retort when I realized that it was kind of true. I _did _say that a lot.

"Come on. I suppose you need some help getting up?" Kurapika smirked.

I growled. He was enjoying this way too much. "No thanks Blondie, I think I can climb by myself."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I didn't bother to watch him as he made his way over to the cliff-face. I made my way as well, and soon I was standing next to the wall of rock. I had to put the egg in my shirt like Menchi did, so I wouldn't break it. I climbed and climbed. It wasn't too hard getting back up. I reached the top and pulled myself up. The others were already there. I pouted slightly. Why was I always so slow?

"Now for the second part of the test!" Menchi announced. "Time to boil your eggs!"

We all put ours in and took these little nets. These were to be used when the eggs were done. I stood next to Kurapika as we waited.

"Do you think it's time?" Gon asked.

"No, a little longer." Kurapika answered, his net ready.

Killua was using his net almost like a walking stick. "I don't even know how long you're supposed to boil a _regular _egg."

"I'm with you on that one." I said. Then I noticed Buhara next to Gon. He looked kind of antsy about something.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gon asked.

Buhara didn't answer him. He just looked at Gon, and then at the eggs. I looked at them too. They were starting to…bounce.

"I guess it's time." Leorio said, dipping his net in. We all did the same, as did the other contestants.

I heard Menchi growl to Buhara. "Could you be any more obvious Buhara?"

I giggled slightly. I took the egg out of the net and held it. It didn't look any different…besides the fact that it was gray and spotty instead of brown or white.

"This is a chicken egg," Menchi spoke, holding two eggs. "and this is a Spider Eagle egg. Now taste them and compare the flavors."

Everyone bit into their egg. I did too.

I can't even describe the flavor. It was amazing, I'd never tasted anything similar in my life.

"Hey this is really good!" Leorio cried, chomping on his.

"It has a profoundly rich and creamy texture that almost melts in your mouth. It's almost as if it's infused with the life-force of the Spider Eagle itself." Kurapika said.

I rolled my eyes and messed with his hair.

"Must you always sound like some freaky scholar Blondie?"

"Rhia!" he retorted, pushing my hand away.

I saw Gon offer Todo some of his egg and I smiled. _'He's such a good kid.' _

"Okay, 42 of the participants have passed!" Menchi announced. "The second phase is over!"

A roar of cheers went through the crowd. The second phase was over, and now we were moving on. But what was next?

GAHHH! That took WAY TOO LONG! I'm so sorry for you guys, but I've just been extremely busy. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please leave some nice reviews for me! Till next time!

By the way, what do you think it was that spooked Rhia when she looked over the cliff?


	13. StowAway

Hello! It's another chapter! YAY! Well, hopefully this one will be better than the last one. Please give me nice reviews! I would really like some!

*sigh* Sadly, I do not own HunterxHunter, nor any of the characters. If I did, the freaking series would probably be over by now, and a certain character would stick around…*glances at Kurapika*

Kurapika: Hey not my fault. Blame Togashi.

Me: I will! *frowns* God why can't he finish the freaking story already! It's completely TICKING ME OFF!

Kurapika: *raises eyebrow* You know…I think Eve and Cune are right. You're getting just a tad obsessive.

Me: NO I'M NOT!

Kurapika: Whatever you say…

Me: Story time! Yay!

Chapter 13: Stow-Away

RHIA'S P.O.V

I sighed. The second phase had ended, and now we were in the airship once more, flying towards the third test. Netero told us that this was our chance to take a rest from the Exam and get some sleep. Gon and Killua's response to that had been to run off and explore. Leorio and Kurapika on he other hand, looked like they were going to pass out.

'_I guess I should try to get some rest…' _I thought. But my eyes wandered to the corner of the room, and my gaze landed on Hisoka. I shivered, hugging myself.

'_But how in the name of God could I possibly do that with HIM sitting there?' _

I walked farther away from Hisoka, so that I was now closer to Kurapika and Leorio. I saw Tompa walk up and speak to them.

"Trying to sleep huh?" he asked. He was smirking. Not a good sign!

"Well you may want to watch it. Netero may have said that we'll reach the destination tomorrow at 8:00, but how do you know the phase won't start while you're sleeping?"

Leorio just kind of stared at him dumbly while Kurapika gave him a weak glare.

"I'd keep your guard up." Tompa said, walking away. I heard him chuckle and frowned.

'_I'll have to get back at him later. No one messes with my friends except for me.'_

I had nothing to do. If I annoyed Kurapika now, then he'd most likely kill me later for not letting him get any sleep. And annoying Leorio just wasn't fun.

So instead I sat down not far from Kurapika and took my MP3 player out of my bag. I plugged my headphones in my ears and turned up the volume. The current song that was playing was _'My Immortal' _by Evanescence. The song reminded me of Mariah, and how now I couldn't get her out of my head and how sometimes…I wanted her to leave me alone. Before I could generate any tears, I switched the song. I didn't even pay attention to what I was listening to now. I just concentrated on what the next phase was. What were we going to have to do? For some strange reason, I had a funny feeling about it.

A while later, I could clearly hear Tompa snoring in content. Through my headphones. I glanced at him in annoyance and then at Kurapika and Leorio. I had to stifle a laugh as they put their fingers in their ears at the same time. I sighed and stood up. There was no way I was going to get any rest here, so I was going to walk around a bit.

There were lots of different rooms, but I didn't go into any of them. The last time I'd done something on a ship, I nearly killed everyone on board when I steered us into a hurricane-like storm. I winced at the memory. Gon was the only one who wasn't mad at me.

'_Speaking of Gon…' _I thought as I rounded a corner. I was in some kind of cafeteria-like place. I saw Gon and Killua sitting at a booth, talking. Gon seemed to be exceptionally peppy and Killua just wore his blank expression. But there was something more…depressed about it than usual. I walked over to them.

"Hey you two where have you been?" I accused playfully.

"Rhia!" Gon said happily. "We were just exploring! You?"

I scowled. "Listening to Tompa snore. Like a chainsaw."

Killua chuckled.

"Rhia, sit down." Gon said, patting the seat next to him.

I smiled. "Thanks." I said as I sat down. "So what do you think?"

"Of what?" Gon asked.

"Of the Exam." I answered.

"It's boring." Killua said in a monotone voice. "I was hoping that it would be more of a challenge, but it's not."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? I think it's been exciting."

"Same here." Gon agreed. "I've been having a lot of fun!"

"That's good." I said. "I've definitely never done anything like it before."

"That's because there's nothing else like the Hunter Exam." Gon chuckled.

"Is this seat taken?"

We turned our heads and saw another girl, about my age standing next to the table. She had black hair that was gathered in two ponytails at both sides of her head, and brown pants and a purple shirt, with something else over it that was also brown. I noticed that she was missing an earring.

"No, go ahead." Gon said, gesturing to the spot.

"Thank you." she said. She seemed to glance at Killua a lot.

"What's your name?" Gon asked. "I'm Gon, and these are my friends Rhia and Killua."

"I'm Anita." She said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Anita." I said.

Then we got to talking about the Hunter Exam again, and I found Anita's reason to be…interesting.

"I'm going to become a Blacklist Hunter and avenge my father's death." She said. Her mood had suddenly gone sour, and she was giving off a very dangerous vibe.

"He was killed by one of the Zaoldyecks, that family of assassins."

"Family of assassins?" Gon repeated. He looked at Killua. "But that…"

I was thoroughly confused now. What did Killua have to do with a family of killers?

Then it got…interesting.

"There there, what you've gone through, it's…it's so sad." Came Leorio's voice. He was behind Anita, and had his hand on her shoulder. He was using this really flirty voice, and I have to admit…it was rather appealing.

But that didn't stop me from falling to the floor, clutching my sides.

"I understand how you must feel, I'm going to be a Hunter too, so let's join together and make your dreams of revenge come true. By the way I'm Leorio."

That was when I really started laughing. It was the silent kind of laughter, but you could still hear me snickering.

"Huh?" Gon spoke, clearly confused. _'He's so innocent!'_

"Now why don't you tell me your name?" Leorio asked softly.

"Her name's Anita." Gon said. "We just met!"

"Anita. What a beautiful name. How 'bout it? why don't the two of us get away from these kids and go somewhere a little more comfortable where we can discuss all of our dreams and desires for the future?"

I had finally calmed down enough so I could stand up.

"I think that's a terrible idea." Anita spat. "Now why don't you leave me alone?"

"We can't do that."

I turned my head and saw Kurapika standing right beside me. I twitched. _'How'd he do that? I didn't even see him!' _

"My name's Kurapika." He said. "My goal's the same as yours, to become a Blacklist Hunter. We have a lot in common and maybe we can help each other."

"I would walk away if I were you." Killua said suddenly. "It's…me. I'm the one she's here for."

Anita pushed Leorio's hand off her shoulder and stood up.

"I acted on a rumor I heard." Anita said, glaring at him. "That a young member of the Zaoldyeck family was going to be taking the Hunter Exam this year."

I looked down at him. _'Killua?'_

"And now you found me." Killua sighed. "Yes I'm a member of the Zaoldyeck family." He turned to glare at Anita. "So what about it?"

Anita gasped slightly.

"Hang on, let me get this straight." Leorio said, standing up as well. The only two left sitting were Gon and Killua. "You only applied to the Hunter Exam to get your revenge?"

"That's right."

"Hey, think about this for a minute." Killua said. His eyes never left Anita's face. "If an assassin is hired to kill someone, there's a good chance that person's done something to deserve it."

It was like all Hell had broken loose in that instant.

"You take that back!" Anita screamed at Killua, leaping at him with a knife.

First she turned over the table and then lunged at him. Kurapika tried to restrain her, but she got away. He was lucky he didn't lose his arm-that knife was huge.

I instinctively grabbed my sword, but I couldn't draw it, the area around me was too small; I would have hit someone.

Anita threw the knife at Killua, but he dodged it with startling speed.

"That is enough!"

Anita stopped, the knife tip just two feet away from Killua's face.

Netero had appeared out of nowhere and stopped the rampaging girl. _'Does everyone here like to appear and disappear like freaking ghosts?' _I thought.

Killua sighed. "Come on old man. Why did you have to get in the way?"

"Good question." Netero said. "A dispute between candidates is not a matter which usually concerns the Exam Committee chairman. But in this case, applicant #111, failed the second phase. She's not even supposed to be here."

Anita was breathing heavily, still gripping her knife. Killua just stood there, acting like this happened everyday. And if it was true that he was a Zaoldyeck…then it probably did.

LATER…

Well, I didn't pay much attention about what happened to Anita after that. I must say that I didn't really care. She tried to hurt-no, KILL-one of my friends. And there was just no excuse for that. Even if there was, I wouldn't believe it. So I just sat in there with Leorio and Kurapika, talking about what could be going on.

"Do you think that Killua really killed that girl's father?" I asked, playing with a strand of hair.

"…I wouldn't doubt that he could." Leorio said. "He seems to be capable…but as to why, I don't know."

"Oh come on Leorio." I said. "Anyone can be capable of killing someone. You just have to have the guts and the mind set to do it."

"You say that like it's so easy." Kurapika said.

I looked at him. "It's not easy-it can't be easy to kill someone." I said, catching myself a little late on that one.

"So do you have experience Rhia?" Leorio asked lowly.

I frowned. "Is it really any of your beeswax Leorio?"

"But have you?" Kurapika asked.

I sighed. "It's called survival you idiots. I didn't have a very wonderful childhood, as you may know, and as I got older, I got into a few…bad habits."

"What-" Leorio began but I shut him up.

"You're lucky I told you that." I snarled.

He just looked at me.

I stood up. "I'm going to try and sleep."

Neither of them tried to stop me from leaving. Although I kind of wish they had.

LATER…

Yeah, I couldn't get any sleep. I was just sitting in a random room, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kurapika pass me.

I raised an eyebrow. _'What's he doing at this hour?' _I thought to myself as I got up. I quietly followed him down the hallway, eventually getting close enough so that I was less than a foot away. I was about to jump him when…

"Rhia, you do realize I now you're there right?"

I fell over. Kurapika stopped and looked down at me with an amused expression. I glared up at him.

"You take all the fun out of life." I whined.

He held out his hand. "Come on, get up."

I took his hand and stood up, blushing madly as I did. Why oh why did I always blush whenever he touched me in any freaking way!

"What are you doing?" he asked with a smirk.

I crossed my arms. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Seeing where you're going."

"Oh so you're stalking me?"

I put on a mischievous smile. "Why? Do you want me to?"

I giggled when Kurapika blushed like a cherry. Then I ran in the direction he had been walking.

"Hey-Rhia!" he called after me. He chased me down the entire hallway, and neither one of us stopped.

When I rounded the corner, I wasn't looking where I was going and promptly slammed into someone, knocking both of us down.

I rubbed my forehead. "Ow…whoever I hit sure has a hard head."

"I was going to say the same to you."

I looked at who I knocked over and saw that it was Leorio. He was rubbing his arm, which was apparently where I had hit.

Kurapika came around the corner, still red from my little joke, and snickered when he saw us.

"Hey aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Kurapika asked him as we stood up.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Leorio answered.

"Same here." I interjected. "What are both of you doing up?"

"What are you doing up?" Leorio countered.

I stuck my tongue at him.

Kurapika chuckled. "Okay, I understand. You're worried about that stow-away."

"Oh give me a break!" Leorio cried. "I think that under the circumstances they should cut that girl some slack."

"Yes I agree." Kurapika said.

I growled. "I don't agree."

Leorio blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why not Rhia?"

"She attacked Killua and almost hurt Blondie." I said. "That's two of my friends in one day!"

"Rhia, if you didn't notice," Kurapika interrupted "no one got hurt."

"Well someone may have gotten hurt." I countered. I huffed. "I just don't like her."

"Oh well. I'm still going to talk to the Examiners about her situation." Leorio declared. I now realized that we were standing right in front of the Examiner's room. I was standing next to Kurapika when Leorio knocked on the door.

"Hello, Examiner are you awake?" he said softly. Then he banged on the door when there was no response. "HEY ARE YOU IN THERE?"

"Here's a thought genius." I said with sarcasm. "Maybe they're sleeping!"

Kurapika and Leorio looked at each other. I couldn't believe how stupid both of them were being right now. I'd already gotten in enough trouble so far, so I crept away from and hid behind a corner.

Leorio opened the door slowly, and then yelled in terror. A large butcher knife whizzed past his head and embedded itself in the wall near Kurapika. Both of them wore similar expressions of pure shock. I had a hard time not giggling.

Menchi was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a yellow towel and holding another knife.

"You two sure have a lot of nerve." She said quietly. But her voice got progressively louder with each syllable. "Most applicants wouldn't even consider sneaking into an Examiner's room in the middle of the night!"

"It's not like that!" Leorio cried, backing up.

"Oh no? Then what are you doing here? Trying to get a peek at me?" she yelled.

"Believe me I would never do a thing like that!" Kurapika argued, still in a little shock. He seemed to compose himself quickly though. "I consider taking advantage of women in any disgraceful."

"Hey come on! Why couldn't you include me in your excuse?" Leorio cried.

"I don't want to hear it!" Menchi yelled, throwing another knife. Leorio and Kurapika ran past me so fast, you would have thought Satan himself was after them. I giggled and followed them to make sure Menchi didn't actually kill them. It seemed that either they had lost her, or she had given up, since I didn't see her chasing them anymore.

The room where they had taken refuge in had a large window showing the ground outside, but Leorio was using it as a mirror for himself. I walked in.

"Look at this." He moaned. "My handsome face is ruined."

"Really? I don't think it looks any different." Kurapika commented, sending me into another fit of giggles.

"What's up with you any way?" Leorio yelled. "How come she didn't give you a beating huh?"

Kurapika just kind of gave Leorio one of those cute stupid looks.

"Tell me!" Leorio yelled in his face.

"Maybe…because I'm cute." He said, turning to look at his reflection.

I laughed so hard at that I had trouble breathing.

"Come on!" Leorio yelled in desperation.

It took me a full five minutes to stop laughing. But I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. It was outside. I turned and looked out the window.

"Hey, that looked like…" Leorio said.

"Gon." Kurapika finished, coming to stand next to me.

I watched as Gon seemed to be playing some kind of game with Netero. It looked like he was after a ball in Netero's hand. And he was getting really close to it.

"What is he doing?" I asked aloud. "And…hey, where's Killua?"

"Yeah, he's not out there with Gon." Leorio said.

But just then the game outside got interesting.

Gon launched his fishing line at Netero, who dodged it. But the line wrapped around Netero's leg and he almost tripped, giving Gon an opening. But Gon didn't go for the ball. Instead, he head-butted Netero! I winced. That looked like it hurt.

"What is he doing?" Leorio asked aloud as Gon went towards Netero again. It looked like he was going to head-butt him again! But then at the last second, Netero dodged Gon, causing him to fly off the edge of he ship!

"GON!" I screamed, running for the nearest door followed by Leorio and Kurapika.

When we got there, Gon was perfectly fine, lying on the ground and panting. Killua was there too.

"What's he been doing out here?" Leorio asked no one in particular.

"Well I know one thing." Kurapika said.

"Huh? What's that?" Leorio asked.

"Whatever it was, he's happy about it."

"That's for sure."

I looked at Gon's smiling face and knew that what Kurapika said was true; he was happy. But that doesn't mean that he didn't make me worry.

I fainted.

LATER…

"…Hey, wake up."

I frowned. _'Who dares to disturb me in my sleep!' _

"Rhia are you going to wake up?"

"Maybe we should have Kurapika carry her."

I sat bolt upright and yelled at the same time Kurapika did. "NO WAY!"

Leorio chuckled. "She's up now."

Gon and Killua came over.

"Hey Rhia, why'd you faint?" Gon asked. "Did you not get enough to eat?"

"You scared me!" I said. "One minute I see you falling off the edge of the ship, and the next I see you perfectly fine!" I gripped my head. "Why oh why does this always happen to me?"

"Well I think you're just fine." Leorio said. "So let's get a move on."

"Why? Did we land?" I asked.

"Yup. We have now arrived at the site of the third phase of the Hunter Exam." Gon announced. He grabbed my hand and ran out with me in tow. He seemed to do that a lot. He led me down the ramp and onto what seemed to be a plateau. My ominous feeling increased to one of pure dread.

I turned around and saw that Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika were saying goodbye to Anita. I walked over there, even though I didn't like her.

Killua held out his hand to her. "I believe you dropped this." He said, holding out an earring identical to hers.

She swiped it from him with an angry scowl. "That was a gift from my father!"

"That crystal's from a Spice Rock isn't it?" Killua said. It wasn't a question.

My ears perked up at 'Spice Rock'.

"Uh…what's a Spice Rock?" Gon asked.

"It's something that can be refined into a highly addictive and illegal substance." Killua answered.

"You only need to try it one time." Kurapika added. "And you're addicted for life."

"I've heard lots of stories about people throwing their lives away just to get their next fix." Leorio said.

"No…" Anita said. "That is a lie!"

"I'm afraid it's true." Netero said sadly.

Anita looked at him in disbelief.

"You mean…you really didn't know?" Killua asked.

Anita started crying. "My father was a nice, kind-hearted man. And where ever he went, the people would always smile at him." She sniffed.

"All of your family's fortune and all of your happiness was built upon the misery of those same people." Killua said.

"But still." Anita said sadly. "He was my father. And the most important person in my life."

"Hey, listen." Gon said. "Why don't you try the Exam again next year? Cause I think it'd be great if you could become a Blacklist Hunter!"

Anita kept crying though, and walked back into the ship. I sighed. _'Her life has been completely turned upside down by one person…' _I looked off at the sunset. _'I know how that is…'_

"May I have your attention please!" a voice from the ship announced. "You're standing on what's known as Trick Tower, and it's the site for the third phase! For this phase, there is only one objective and it isn't complicated. Find your way to the bottom of the tower alive!"

I grimaced. "Well that's a cherry thought…"

"You have a time limit of 72 hours!"

Great. Now I was stuck on top of a tower, and I had 72 hours to get down alive. In addition to that, my feeling of dread was getting stronger. Something was in this tower…something connected to me…

But what?

WOW! That was so long! I'm sorry about that guys, it sort of wrote itself. But you can expect faster updates now, because we're reaching my favorite part in the Exam! YAY! Please leave some reviews! The more reviews I get, the faster the updates will be! Tee hee!

By the way, what do you think Rhia's afraid of in Trick Tower?

Read&Review people!


	14. Majority Rules!

Hello! The next chapter in my story! *cheers wildly* I hope this one's good cause it's one of my personal favorites! *giggles dementedly*

Kurapika: *rolls eyes* Are you going to do the disclaimer or not?

Me:….Uh….NOT!

Kurapika: Uh…yeah, you do. And yes you're going to.

Me: *bats eyelashes* Would you have a problem with me owning HunterxHunter?

Kurapika: *blushes, then pales* Uh…*shivers* Too many unspeakable horrors…

Me: YOU FREAKING BRAT!

Kurapika: *chuckles* Since Rhia seems incapable of doing it I will. Thankfully Rhia does not own anything or anyone *glances at me* but herself. *smirks* There. Done.

Me: *pouts* Show-off…

Chapter 14: Majority Rules!

RHIA'S P.O.V

Nothing.

No matter where I looked, all I saw was nothing. The top of the tower was completely barren, except for the other examinees wandering around. I crossed my arms. _'What now?' _I always seemed to answer my questions myself though. _'Well, I guess I'll just stick close to Blondie and the others…they always seem to have the answers.' _

I walked over to them. "So any bright ideas?"

"None so far." Leorio responded.

"The sides of the tower are completely smooth, and I don't see anything else that could be used to get down." Kurapika said, more to himself than anything. I sighed.

"Then what do we do?" I asked.

"I'm thinking." Kurapika said, waving one hand at me.

I huffed and walked toward the other people. Maybe I could hear something from them…most likely not.

"Rhia are you okay?" Gon asked from behind me. "You seem more…agitated than usual."

I looked at him. "…I just have a very bad feeling about this phase, that's all."

"Don't worry! Everything will be fine!" Gon reassured me before rushing back over to Killua.

'…_But you don't have my horrible luck Gon. Something's going to happen…something bad…' _

Oh I hate it when I daydream like that. I noticed something and blinked in surprise.

There were less people here than before.

I raised an eyebrow. _'Where did they go? There's no place to go…' _I was walking around when suddenly I felt the ground move slightly under my foot. I looked down and saw that where I was standing was a little lower than the rest of the tower. My eyes widened. _'Hey…it's hollow?' _I thought, shifting my weight a little.

Oh I shouldn't have done that.

Before I could utter a sound, I suddenly fell through the top of the tower, and into sheer blackness.

I landed on a hard stone floor, and I saw that I wasn't in complete darkness. I couldn't see where the small amount of light was coming from, but I knew it was there. However, this was no time to be happy.

That feeling of foreboding…yeah, it was much stronger down here. And I was completely alone.

I was about to have a panic attack. Since the very first phase-before the Exam started, actually-I hadn't been alone. I always had at least one of my friends with me at all times. I stood up and looked around. There was no way that I could see where I could get out. _'Maybe…is this a trap? Am I going to die here?' _I thought desperately. I felt like crying. I didn't want to be alone! I hugged myself, trying not to hyperventilate. This was kind of like the Milsee Wetlands, when I had gotten lost in the mist. But back then, Kurapika had come to my rescue. A tiny ray of hope appeared in my mind.

Would he come again?

I received an answer when I heard a slight rumbling above me. I didn't even have time to look up before something fell on top of me. I hit my head on the floor and cursed loudly.

"Hey it's Rhia!"

I opened my eyes and saw Gon smiling at me. But he hadn't fallen on me. Guess who did?

Yup, it was Blondie.

"So you figured out how to get down here too?" Leorio asked, scratching the back of his head.

I didn't answer him however. I just glared at Kurapika. "If you don't remove yourself from the vicinity of my being NOW I am going to murder you!"

I'd never seen him jump up so fast. But he was off of me now, and I could see a light flush on his face.

"Are you okay Rhia?" Gon asked. He held out his hand to help me up.

"Fine until Blondie landed on me."

Kurapika rolled his eyes. "Always blaming someone."

I whirled to him. "Don't tell me that I wasn't watching where I was going this time! You fell from the ceiling!"

"It's no one's fault." Leorio said, breaking up our quibbling. "It was an accident."

I crossed my arms. "Whatever."

But I knew that deep down, it had happened again.

Kurapika came to my rescue.

I suddenly felt a warm feeling deep in my heart, though I had no idea why. But I really liked it. I noticed something on the wall and looked at it.

"Hey…there's a sign on the wall." I said. Everyone came and stood next to me.

"She's right." Leorio said, moving closer.

I huffed. "What did you think I was lying?"

"Well what is it?" Killua asked.

The sign said in big, bold letters:

**CHOICE OF THE WAY BY THE MAJORITY.**

**For the six candidates: you'll have to reach your goal **

**Following the majority's choice**

"Six?" Kurapika repeated. He looked confused.

"Hey there's even six watches over there." Leorio said. "At least…I think they're watches."

"But…there's only five of us here." Gon said. "What now?"

"I guess we'll have to wait for another person." Leorio said.

I groaned. "But that could take hours!"

Just then, someone fell through.

"Or it could take seconds." Killua said.

"Oh…."

My eyes snapped wide open. "Oh dear God…please tell me that's not who I think it is!" I cried without turning around.

"Sorry Rhia." Kurapika said.

Yeah, it was Tompa.

I growled audibly. Why oh why did he-OF ALL FREAKING PEOPLE-have to be the sixth person? It just wasn't fair!

"So I guess we're teaming up now?" Tompa smirked.

"For now." I snarled. "But that doesn't mean we're going to be friends you know!"

Tompa held his hands up, as if in defeat. "Fine by me."

I walked over to the watches and grabbed one, putting it on my wrist. It had a screen on it, and two buttons, X and O. I raised an eyebrow. What kind of watches were these?

Gon and Killua put theirs on too. "So…now what? We have six people." Gon asked aloud.

It's interesting how whenever someone asks a question, the answer is almost always instantaneous.

"**ALL RIGHT!" **came a voice from a loud speaker I hadn't noticed before. **"THIS TOWER CONTAINS NUMEROUS PASSAGES. EACH ONE CONTAINS ITS OWN CROSSWAYS. YOU CAN ONLY MOVE FORWARD FOLLOWING THE MAJORITY'S CHOICE. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS IF THE CHOICE COMES FROM ONE GUY ONLY." **

I crossed my arms again. "Hm…doesn't sound too hard."

"**THE DIFFICULTY IS THAT COOPERATING IS THE ESSENTIAL CONDITION. ON THAT NOTE, JUST FIGHT WELL!"**

Then the voice was gone.

No one moved at all. I guess that each person was trying to figure out what to do. I know I was.

Then, suddenly a hidden door opened on the opposite wall. The passageway beyond was dark and creepy looking.

"Ah, okay…when the six people are gathered, the watches synchronize…" Kurapika concluded.

"And the door opens?" Leorio said.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Tompa cried, striding forward. "Let's go!"

I narrowed my eyes. _'Weirdo…'_

"Hm…he's acting oddly…" Leorio mumbled as we walked through the passage.

We came to another door, but this one was locked. There was a sign on it that read:

**THE DOOR:**

**O OPENS, X DOES NOT**

"We have to choose already?" I asked aloud.

"Well it seems obvious to me." Leorio said, pushing a button. "The choice is O."

Then, we all pressed a button on our watches. The lock on the door made some kind of clicking noise, and then it opened. On the sign it told us who pressed what button.

5 people pressed O…and one pressed X.

Leorio growled. "Who pushed X?"

Tompa scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry, my finger must have slipped."

Leorio glared at him, "Don't fool around with me! Who can mistake X for O?"

Tompa frowned. "Hey, I apologized."

"We should get moving." Kurapika said. "Time is acting against us."

"It doesn't matter how many times he goes against us," Killua said. "As long as the five of us press the same button, we can move forward."

Leorio huffed. "Fine!"

As we walked through the door, I looked back and saw that the entrance was closing. When I heard the sound of metal hitting stone, I winced. It sounded so…permanent. Like…the sound of a jail door closing. That threatening feeling you get when it closes, and you want to cling to something. And to make matters worse, it made me 'feeling of foreboding' even stronger. What was waiting at the bottom of the tower?

I had a feeling…it was meant for me.

Then we came upon another sign, this time on the wall.

"If you want to go right, then press O. If you want to go left, press X." Kurapika read.

I turned to them. "So…which way? Right or left?"

"Left." Leorio announced. "We should go left."

I scowled. "Who made you the king?"

"Don't bother arguing." Kurapika told me, pressing a button. I sighed and did the same. Then the sign lit up and showed that 4 people pressed O and 2 people pressed X.

"Hey shouldn't we go left?" Gon asked.

"I for one don't feel comfortable unless I go left." Leorio said.

Kurapika sighed in annoyance and pushed Leorio through the door.

"According to some behavior studies," Kurapika said, sounding like he swallowed an answer key. "it seems that when a person is lost and have to make a decision like that, most of the time they unconsciously choose left."

"I've heard the same thing." Killua said.

"Hey wait!" Leorio objected. "I don't understand! What you're telling me is the exact opposite of the results we just got! What did you choose?"

"Right." Killua said.

"Right." Kurapika and I said at the same time. We glanced at one another in annoyance.

"You…" Leorio growled.

"Instinctively we choose the left side." Tompa said. "If the members of the jury know this, there's a strong possibility that they put a higher level of difficulty on the left way."

"Oh." I said. "I chose right because it was the first thing that popped into my head."

"That's not a very good way of deciding things Rhia." Leorio said to me.

I crossed my arms. (A/N: Rhia seems to do that a lot. Maybe she should quit it…)

"That's how I've decided most things in my life. And oh look! I'm alive aren't I?" I said sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter." Killua interjected.

"He's right, we need to keep going." Kurapika said, moving forward.

"Fine." Leorio said.

I followed them, but then I suddenly stopped. Gon saw me and turned around.

"Rhia? Is something wrong?" he asked.

I didn't answer right away. "I just…have a really…bad feeling about this." I said.

"Like what?" Leorio asked.

I shut my eyes. "There's something ahead…something bad…something really really bad."

"Well we can't turn back now." Tompa said. "We have to keep going."

I shook my head. "I'd rather stay here."

"But Rhia." Gon said sadly. "We can't leave you here."

I looked down. "But I feel like I can't even move forward. I don't want to go this way."

"Rhia we don't have a choice." Killua said. He smiled. "Don't worry, we won't let anything hurt you."

"Yeah! We'll protect you Rhia!" Gon agreed. When I saw that contagious smile of his, I couldn't help but smile back. Even if it was a weak smile.

"Come on!" Gon cried, taking my hand. He walked next to me as we kept going. I felt safer now, with Gon holding my hand.

And because I knew that no matter what, my friends were going to protect me. We walked through a large stone opening.

"What?" Leorio asked aloud.

Before us was what looked like a stone arena. But there was no way of getting to it, and the rest of the room was like a bottomless pit. I could see that across the room was a place identical to ours, and there were some shadowy figures standing there. I shivered.

God help me now.

Oh! Rhia's scared! But of what? So how was this chapter? Did you like it? I know that not a lot happened here, but the next part is so exciting…it just needs a chapter of its own. And yes I know that there's only supposed to be five people, but we can't put Rhia with a group of strangers now can we? But let me know what you think of this chapter! And please give me some nice reviews! *grins* Til next time! Tee hee!


	15. A Fight to the Death

Yes! It's the next chapter! Oh I'm so excited for this one, and I hope you are too!

Kurapika: *smirks* Ready for the disclaimer Rhia?

Me: *growls* You enjoy this too much.

Kurapika: *sits back and chuckles* Well you are very entertaining.

Me: Aw shut up Blondie.

Kurapika: Whatever you say Rhia. *looks at audience* Rhia does not own HunterxHunter, or any of the characters.

Me: Except for myself and the random characters you know aren't supposed to be there.

Kurapika: Yeah, Rhia owns nothing.

Me: Shut up Blondie. I may not own you, but I can write about you!

Kurapika: Uh…don't you have a story to write?

Me: Don't try and change the subject!

Gon: But Rhia, he's right.

Me: Either way! Time for the story!

Kurapika: *in a sing-song voice* Denial…

Me: SHUT UP!

Chapter 15: A Fight to the Death

RHIA'S P.O.V

"So who are those guys over there?" Killua asked no one in particular.

I heard voices coming from the other side, but I couldn't tell what was being said. Then one of them walked forward, and a stone bridge appeared and connected to the arena. The guy walked on it, wearing a big ugly tan colored cloak thing. When he was on the platform, he took the cloak off and revealed himself.

I actually shrank behind Gon, because this guy was creepy! He looked like some kind of wrestler, and had jagged scars going around his head. He grinned at us.

"We are the jurors for the trial commission!" he announced loudly. "Our mission is to fight against you!"

I gulped silently.

"The matches are one against one and one can only fight once! The order of passage is free!" he yelled. "You'll have to reach three victories if you want to go on!"

"Three victories?" I repeated.

"The rules are extremely simple." The guy continued. "Everything is allowed! There's no limit! The defeat of one means victory for his opponent!"

We just stood there, not saying anything.

"You only have to tell if you accept this trial or not! O if you accept and X if you refuse!"

"What?" Leorio said. "We still have to choose?"

"That's what he said." Gon said.

Leorio growled slightly. "Another waste of time! If we want to be qualified then we have to go through this! It's obvious that we all choose O!"

I gulped and looked down at the watch. I didn't want to do this…but I wanted to get out of this tower. Besides, if I chose X then it would be selfish. My friends wanted to go through this, and I wanted to be there with them every step of the way. After all…they were my friends.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I pressed down on O.

The sign on the wall came up as 6 people pressed O and no one pressed X.

Gon looked at me in amazement. "Rhia?"

I took a deep breath. "I know. I choose O."

"Why?" he asked. "I thought you said you didn't want to do this."

"I don't. But…it would be unfair of me to go against you guys." I said with a sigh. "That and I would have been out-numbered anyway."

"Alright! It's unanimous!" Leorio cried.

"Okay." The guy with scars said. "I'm the first one! Choose now!"

Before anyone could say anything, Tompa stepped up.

I almost fainted from shock.

"Tompa?" Leorio asked quietly.

"I'll do it." he said. "Since everything is allowed, we don't know what's going to happen. I'll be the tester."

"Really?" I said.

"And it will be another way to apologize." He added. "No one trusts me do they? Imagine we are at a tie at two victories: would you be more confident if I was the one who should fight?" he didn't even wait for an answer. He just walked out onto the stone bridge that appeared.

"Only the fighter can come across!" the guy yelled as Tompa came forward.

When they were standing in front of each other, the inmate spoke.

"Well for the fight itself I propose…a fight to the death!"

No one moved.

"It won't end until one of us dies or gives up."

It was a while before Tompa said anything. Then he said, "That's fine with me. I accept."

"What?" I said. "He accepts! God he's a bigger idiot than I thought!"

"Hey you have determination!" the guy yelled. "I like that!"

"This can't be good." Killua said under his breath.

"So now…LET'S FIGHT!" he yelled, rushing at Tompa.

"I QUIT!" Tompa cried, falling to the floor.

I sweat-dropped and put my hands on my hips. "Why am I not surprised?"

"He said 'I quit' didn't he?" Gon said.

"I'm dreaming." Kurapika mumbled. "I must be dreaming…"

"No you're not dreaming Blondie." I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "There's a first class coward right there."

"He must have wanted to say 'I'm quite ready'…right?" Leorio asked.

"What did you say?" the guy asked.

"I quit." Tompa said. "I quit."

I turned to Leorio. "I'm pretty sure he said 'I quit' and meant it."

The inmate chuckled.

"Now they have a victory!" Leorio cried.

"Only two left for them." Killua added.

"So…what happens when we lose?" I asked.

"You'll have to stay there and wait until the time runs out!" the guy answered me.

I frowned. _'We have five left and we need three victories. What are we going to do…?'_

"I know it's not very glorious," Tompa said as he walked back over. "but up close he looked really, really strong."

Leorio grabbed the collar of Tompa's shirt.

"You idiot." He growled. "I understand well. Your hobby is to do all you possibly can to disturb others!"

Tompa grinned. "You've got it. That's what I like to do. And I'm not even close to stopping it."

I groaned. "What a moron."

"It's the only reason I've stayed alive until now." He said. "There's a big difference between you and me. I don't even want to become a Hunter. I don't care about getting qualified in the Exam, I'm just looking for a little excitement."

"You sicko." I snarled. "You call that excitement! So what you did to us during the first phase with the Hallucination Sap was all fun and games to you?"

"You catch on quick Rhia."

I balled my hands into fists at my sides. "Do you have any idea what we had to go through? Does your freakishly small brain even have an inkling about what happened?"

He looked a little nervous now from my shouting.

"Rhia, calm down." Killua said. "Shouting at him doesn't make it any better."

"Well it makes me feel better!" I argued.

"Either way, just stop shouting." Kurapika interjected.

Tompa shrugged. "Well I don't plan on going any farther than this. After the third phase, the contestants are less numerous and the challenges get harder."

I growled audibly. "I hate you."

"Everyone does." Tompa grinned.

Leorio let Tompa go and just glared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kurapika cut him off.

"That's enough Leorio." He said. "I know what they want."

"And what is that?" I asked.

"For every hour they keep us here, they get one year off their sentence." He explained.

"Their sentence?" Gon repeated.

"So…they're criminals." I said, getting what he meant. "Which means if we lose…"

"Our 72 hours will become 72 years for them."

"All they want is to slow us down." Killua said. "That guy Tompa fought looked like he was ex-military or something. He surely would have beaten him to death, possibly torturing him first…"

As Killua said this, Tompa became paler and paler.

"So who's next?" I asked.

"I am!"

We all turned and saw Gon smiling at us.

I blinked in surprise. _'Gon…'_

"Are you sure?" Killua asked.

"I'm positive." Gon replied.

"Well you don't lack courage, but that's a good thing." Killua said. "But aren't you scared?"

"The next guy doesn't look very spiteful." Gon said.

"Maybe, but…" Killua said, trailing off.

"I remind you, he's still a criminal." Kurapika said, sweat-dropping.

Killua stared out at the next fighter. He was tall, lean and had greasy looking black hair that hung in front of his right eye.

"Don't worry he's not tough." Killua said suddenly.

Gon proceeded to walk out to the platform, wearing a smile the whole way.

"As you can see," the guy said. "I'm not a fighter. All that physical stuff…not my thing."

"I prefer the opposite." Gon said. "I'm not very good at thinking games."

"I thought so. So I prepared an extremely simple game." He said.

He reached into his back pockets and pulled out two candles. I raised an eyebrow. _'Interesting…'_

"Don't worry, it's not dynamite." He said. "Both of us will light a candle at the same time, and the one that goes out first loses."

"Okay, sounds easy." Gon said.

"Well…" he said. "Which one do you choose? The long one or the short one?"

"Huh?" Gon said.

"Press O if you want the long one, and X if you want the short one."

"It must be a trap!" Leorio said. "The long one is trapped for sure!"

"Yes it would be logical to think this." Kurapika stated. "But counting on this 'normality' it wouldn't surprise me if the short one was a trap."

"Well in that case…" Leorio trailed off.

"Yup. We can't know." He grimaced. "Neither of the choices are reassuring."

The guy plopped down on the floor. "Don't rush. We have all the time we need."

"Damn!" Leorio seethed. "Which one should we choose?"

"Gon!" Kurapika yelled. "You make the decision! We'll go with whatever you pick!"

Gon just looked at him, almost dumbly. But I would never call Gon dumb.

"Instead of torturing our minds, we trust your instinct." Kurapika said.

"I decide? Okay!" Gon cried. He turned back to the inmate. "The long one!"

I blinked. _'The long one? Really…?' _

"Are you sure?" the inmate asked.

"Yup. Since it's bigger, it'll take more time to burn! That's logic!"

I hit my forehead. _'It's logic alright…Gon's logic that is…'_

"Whatever." Leorio sighed, pressing the button as everyone else did.

"The long one it is." The guy said, tossing the candle to Gon. "You get the long and I get the short."

He walked over to the torches at the ends of the platform. "Now let's light them together."

Gon walked to the other torch and put his candle close to the flame. He lit it at the same time the inmate did.

"Now let the fight begin!" he cried.

So we all just stayed there, watching the candles burn.

"How long does it take a candle like that to burn?" Killua asked.

"5 or 6 hours at the most." Kurapika answered.

Leorio grimaced. "There's a strong wind blowing up from under the platform. If he moves, his candle will probably go out."

Then I noticed something strange. Gon's flame was huge!

"Hey…" I said quietly. "Look at his flame!"

"Gah! It's burning way too fast!" Leorio cried.

"He must have mixed something in with the wax to make it burn like that." Kurapika stated.

"It's almost a stub now!" I cried.

"It's hot!" Gon yelled.

"At this rate it'll only be 2 or 3 minutes until Gon won't be able to hold it anymore!" Leorio said quickly. "I knew it was a trap!"

Then Gon suddenly smiled and put his candle down. "Heh. If it burns that well then it won't go out with the wind."

The inmate blinked in worry.

Gon sprang from his spot and appeared in front of the inmate. He grinned and then blew out the candle. He gave him a peace sign and cheered. "I won!"

"Yes! Now we have a victory!" Leorio cried. "Good job Gon!"

He walked over to us. I don't know if I'd seen him smile bigger than this.

"Okay, I'm next." Kurapika said.

As he walked out onto the stone bridge, I felt a twinge on my heartstring. Why? If I wasn't so worried when Gon went to fight, then why was I worried when Kurapika went?

I put my hand on my forehead. This wasn't making any sense.

I looked up as the inmate Kurapika was going to fight threw off the cloak thing.

I let out a little scream. "OH MY GOD!"

The guy looked like his face had been put through a blender. He was big, ugly and gray. He resembled Frankenstein's Monster, but to me the Monster was better looking!

I took one look at his giant form, and then at Kurapika, who had a slight, thin form. I felt faint.

Kurapika, however, didn't seem fazed at all.

"I've already killed 19 people," he said, pointing to some heart shaped tattoos on his chest. "but I don't like odd numbers. And now you're here, number 20!"

My blood instantly boiled.

"Oh great! A serial killer!" Leorio cried.

"The only things that are exciting to me are the fights in which we risk our lives!" he said. "I don't like making the things in half! I need blood! Pain! The sound of your scream when I rip you apart!"

Why was I so mad? I just wanted to go over there and throttle this guy! The way he was talking about Kurapika…like he was nothing more than just some other guy! He wasn't! He wasn't just some other guy!

He was so much more…

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. _'You'll always be Blondie to me…' _I thought. (A/N: By the way, if you look at this part in the manga, you can see Tompa picking his nose! XD)

"That's fine with me." Kurapika said. "But if you could decide the rules it would be fine."

I stared at him in shock like everyone else. Including Frankenstein's Monster wanna-be.

"O-okay, you're not crazy." He said. "Here's what I suggest: a fight to the death! We fight until the other fighter admits defeat or until he dies!"

My stomach tightened into a knot.

"But…supposing that you decide to give up during the fight…I can't guarantee that I'll stop!"

My eyes widened. _'Oh no…'_

"Okay." Kurapika said in a bored tone.

'_Is he crazy? He's going to get himself killed!' _I thought.

Then Kurapika took off his outer garment, revealing a gray tank-top and gray pants. He looked even slimmer now.

I found myself blushing hard. My heart was beating wildly, even more so than when I had been scared before. I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe.

He'd taken my breath away.

Frankenstein's Monster wanna-be looked completely shocked. "Wait! I forgot something!" he said. "We can't use weapons! Even the members of the jury can't use weapons. It's a hand fight only."

"I see…" Kurapika said. He looked at his weapon that he had been holding, and then just tossed them aside. "Anything else? If not I would like to start."

"Huh? Uh…no, that's it." he said.

"Hey…" Leorio said quietly. "How do you feel for Kurapika? He must really mistrust his opponent."

I didn't answer. I was still trying to figure out why seeing Kurapika with a tank-top on had left me breathless.

"Let the combat begin!" he announced.

"In my mind, we don't have to worry." Killua said.

I looked at him, the first time I'd looked at something other than Kurapika since the fight began. "What? Are you blind?"

"Well, when I look at him," Gon said. "I don't feel scared."

"So what?" Leorio asked him. He turned to me. "Rhia, what about you?"

I didn't answer him. Mostly because I wasn't sure myself.

Then the Monster wanna-be jumped up in the air. He balled his hand into a fist and aimed it at Kurapika as he came down.

I wanted to scream to him, tell him to watch out!

But he wouldn't have needed it anyways.

At the very last second, Kurapika jumped backwards, and was showered with dust and pieces of rock. The punch had left a depression in the floor that looked like where a meteor hits the surface and makes a crater.

I covered my mouth with my hand. He completely crushed the stone! With one punch!

Kurapika was crouched in a defensive position, with his arms blocking his face. The Monster wanna-be looked at him and grinned. Then he turned slightly.

And all at once, the air became dangerously tense. Kurapika was giving off almost murderous vibes, but for once, his opponent didn't seem surprised. I took a closer look at what could have made Kurapika tense up like that.

I instantly wished I hadn't.

On his back was a large tattoo in the shape of a black spider.

I suddenly felt a wave of pure rage wash over me, and I was visibly pissed off. So much so that Gon actually took two steps away from me.

But why was I mad? What did this symbol mean to me? I didn't know. All I knew was that it was very bad.

"A spider?" Leorio said in shock. "With twelve legs? It couldn't be…"

I didn't pay attention to what was said. All I heard after that was "Phantom Troupe".

Kurapika didn't move. All he did was stand up.

"Hmm well? You're pretty damn silent now. I'm Majitani, one of four kings of the Troupe. Take my first attack for some kind of introduction."

I growled. My hands were balled so tightly that my nails were close to making my palms bleed.

"If you wish to renounce to the fight, it's now that you'll have to tell it." he said with an annoying air of confidence. "Because at this moment of the fight, I'm still…" he trailed off.

As Kurapika just stared at him, he looked a little worried. "But-what kind of trick is that?"

I was confused. Was Kurapika doing something?

Then, he suddenly appeared right in front of Majitani and grabbed his jaw. Kurapika jumped up, bringing Majitani with him, and slammed his head back down into the stone floor with a powerful punch. I stood stock still. _'Was that…really Blondie?' _I thought. Then he spoke.

"Three. Three things of advice." He said. "1, on the real sign, the member's number is written in the center of the spider. 2, they've already killed so many people they don't bother to keep track. 3, don't ever use the name of the Phantom Troupe again. Because next time, I'll kill you without hesitation." Then he turned and walked back to us. I saw what Majitani had been scared of now.

Kurapika's eyes were bright red.

They were the most startling and yet beautiful thing I'd ever se- '_DID I JUST THINK HE'S BEAUTIFUL?' _I thought to myself. But I couldn't deny it. Such a vibrant color…so…amazing. Like shining rubies…

"Hey Kurapika," Leorio asked hesitantly. "You okay?"

"Yes, I've had nothing." He said shortly.

'_Does that mean he's saying he's not on drugs or something?' _

"No, what I mean is: is it okay for us to be around you right now?"

I flashed Leorio a glare that he didn't see. _'That was rude!' _

Kurapika looked at us and I saw that his eyes had returned to their emerald green color. I blushed.

"I understood at the beginning," he said. "that fighting him wasn't a big risk. I knew that his tattoo was fake." He went and sat down against the wall. "But after I saw that spider…everything became red. In fact, this happens whenever I see an ordinary spider. I lose all control and become unrecognizable."

I blinked in surprise. _'Really? Well…it was…almost scary…' _I thought to myself.

Kurapika sighed. "I guess this means that my rage hasn't gone away. I do feel a little relieved…"

"We're going to keep him away from spiders aren't we?" Gon whispered in Leorio's ear. Leorio just nodded without saying a word.

"So what now?" Gon asked quietly.

"I'm going to end it! That's what!" Leorio answered. He looked at the inmates on the other side. "Hurry up and pick up his body! We're waiting for the next prisoner!"

"…Sorry but we can't do that." One of them said. I noticed that the voice was different from the ones before. It sounded…younger almost.

And…somewhat…familiar.

But why? Why did this voice sound familiar to me? Who was it? What was going to happen now?

OOOOHHHH! THE SUSPENSE! This chapter is leading up to one of the greatest chapters I will ever write here. Ever. It will be one of the best.

But how was this chapter? Was it good? Did I describe the fight scenes well? (Even though there was only one…^^;) Please give me some reviews, 'kay?

Oh! And why do you think the person's voice sounds familiar to Rhia? Who could it be? Let me know who you think it is! Tee hee!


	16. A Startling Truth

It's the next chapter! YES! Oh I'm really excited for this one! Really excited! *giggles*

Kurapika: And exactly how long do you think this will take you?

Me: *raises eyebrow* …Uh…I don't know. Does it really matter?

Kurapika: Uh yeah it does. You're supposed to be doing your Biology homework remember?

Me: *flicks wrist at him* Oh that. Yeah I'll get to that some time tomorrow…

Kurapika: Yeah…'Sometime' is right.

Me: Why don't you just shut up and let me write the dang story?

Kurapika: *sigh* Well, Rhia owns nothing connected to HunterxHunter except for the characters she has invented.

Me: *rolls eyes* Thanks Blondie. Now let me finish! I have adoring fans to please!

Kurapika: *looks around in confusion* What fans? You mean people actually read this?

Me: *slams head on desk* Shut up…

Chapter 16: A Startling Truth

RHIA'S P.O.V

"What do you mean?" Leorio cried.

The person across the room stepped onto the arena and checked Majitani. "He's only unconscious." They said. "You chose a death match! The combat should have lasted until one of the two dies or quits! He's still alive, and I've never heard him say he quit."

"No way!" Leorio yelled. He half-looked at Kurapika. "End it with him and give him the last shot!"

"No."

Leorio spun around in total shock and stared at Kurapika. "What?"

"For me the game is over." Kurapika replied. "I hit my adversary while he had renounced fighting. I can't hit a man who's unconscious."

"You're kidding!" Leorio shouted. "In that case what do you want to do?"

"It depends on him. If he regains consciousness, we'll talk." He said with his eyes closed. "But don't count on me to do anything more."

Leorio just growled at him. Oh he was getting mad…

"If you want, I can kill him for you." Killua said, walking forward. "You've never killed anybody before have you?"

I raised an eyebrow. _'…What an odd question for a 12 year old to ask…' _

"Are you scared?" he asked.

Kurapika stayed silent.

'_Okay, no, THAT was the strangest question a 12 year old could ask!' _I mentally corrected myself.

"I've never asked myself if killing somebody would scare me or not." Kurapika said. "Besides, it's a fight between him and me. I don't need your help."

"I see." Killua said with a bored face. Then he and Leorio started yelling. "I remind you that you're not alone here! It's no time to be egotistic!" Killua reprimanded.

"Right!" Leorio agreed. "You see, when you want, you say pretty good stuff! Tell him another time! Think more of others!"

I wasn't sure if he was yelling at Killua or Kurapika now…

"Sorry, but…I don't want to change my opinion." Kurapika said with his eyes closed.

That only made Leorio madder. "Well! In that case let's refer to the majority's choices! The ones that agree for killing him push the O button! The others push the X one!"

He pressed the O button on his watch, but nothing appeared on the screen.

"Why didn't it light on?" he cried, pointing at it.

"Maybe cause we did it on our own." Gon suggested.

But Leorio wasn't about to give up. "I understand that! How about we vote! Whoever agrees to killing him, raise their hand!"

Leorio was the only one who raised his hand.

"Traitor!" he yelled at Killua.

"It's useless." Killua said. "He said he wouldn't change his mind."

"His adversary was about to recognize that he lost." Gon interjected. "We just have to wait until he wakes up."

"FINE!" Leorio bellowed. "Do whatever you want!" He went back and sat in a dark corner.

"He's sulking." Gon said.

This wasn't good. Now the group was divided. And Leorio was the only one on his side. I kind of felt bad for him, even though he was trying to force Kurapika to kill someone. But…being all alone…it's one of the worst feelings in the world.

So we just sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

'_God I hate this! I hate waiting like this!' _I thought. I was leaning against the wall opposite Kurapika. But I couldn't bring myself to look him straight in the face. And I didn't know why. Had he seen my blush earlier? When I had seen him with a tank top? The short memory brought a small smile to my face. Why? What was wrong with me?

I looked down at the watch. We didn't have a lot of time left. Only about 59 hours or so.

Then Killua walked up to the edge of the platform, and he spoke to the prisoners across the room.

"Tell me…" he asked slowly. "Whether he was already dead?"

We all looked at him in surprise. Why hadn't we thought of that before?

Leorio jumped up and stood next to Killua. "Damn!" he seethed. "With the lack of light here it's hard to tell!"

"Maybe if one of us went over there…" I said. "We could be able to see."

Leorio looked at them. "We'd like to go and see if he's still alive! How can we believe he'll open an eye sometime? He might already be dead!"

"I told you a while ago." The person from before said. "He just fainted."

"It's already been several hours!" Leorio argued.

I stepped up. "Besides, why should we believe you? You're criminals! You've lied in the past and you'll lie again!"

Gon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Rhia's right!"

"We can't be content with what you're telling us!" Leorio said.

There was silence for a few moments. Then, another voice spoke.

"Well…in that case, why don't we bet on it? Is he dead or alive?"

"Bet?" Leorio cried. "But what can we bet with?"

"Time." Was the answer.

'_Of course…'_

"We're betting…and the winner receives time." The voice said. This one sounded…almost…female.

"Look at the screen."

We did, and on the screen appeared two sets of 50.

"We can bet up to 50 hours." The voice said. "Minimum is 10 hours. The game is over when one of us hits zero. We decide the bet in each turn."

No one said a word.

"If you lose, then the time you have to exit the tower will be reduced by 50 hours. And if I lose…my sentence will be increased by 50 years."

I could almost feel this person smirking at us.

"If you accept the game…I'll let you look at him."

Leorio growled. "That's a girl's voice."

'_I was right!'_

"She's insane, ready to bet her prison sentence…" he said.

"Don't trust her Leorio." Kurapika said. "If you lost, we would only have 9 hours to exit the tower."

"You're the one saying this?" Leorio cried. He pointed at Kurapika. "I remind you that we're at this point because you didn't want to give the final blow!"

Kurapika frowned at him and closed his eyes. "I understand. I won't say anything more."

"Hey! Now's not the time for arguing!" Gon cried, getting between them.

Leorio turned and faced the others. "Okay, I accept!"

"Since I decided the bet…I'll let you choose how many hours." The voice said.

"…I bet 10 hours he's alive." Leorio said.

I blinked in surprise. Leorio was betting that Majitani was alive? But he was the one who had said he may have been dead…or at least, Killua had said that but Leorio had strongly agreed with him…

"You're prudent." Kurapika said.

"That's quite normal isn't it?" Leorio said. "I thought you weren't going to say another word?"

"We'll let you check now."

The stone bridge then opened and Leorio walked across it. He walked up to the inert form of Majitani and checked his pulse.

Then, our number was raised from 50 to 60. My eyes widened. _'He is alive…'_

"Yeah Leorio!" Gon cheered. "Now we've taken the lead!"

"…I don't like this." Killua said.

I looked at him. "Huh? Why not? We have 10 extra hours now!"

"But he may not open his eyes for a very long time." Killua explained.

Kurapika's head bolted up and he looked at Killua. I could see in his eyes that he knew what he might have done…

"If he's lying down on the ground for the remaining time, then our 72 hours will become their 72 years." Killua said.

"Now it's your turn." The prisoner told Leorio. "Choose the next bet."

"Is he really fainted or not?" Leorio asked. "That's what I bet."

"Okay…I bet 20 hours that he's really unconscious." The inmate said. "But how will you check it?"

"Oh that's easy." Leorio said. Then in one swift motion, he had Majitani up off the ground and was taking him over to the side of the arena. He held him over the edge.

"I'm gonna release him from here." He said. "If he's only fainted…he'll die from the fall."

"Are you serious? I remind you that the last match isn't over yet, such a method will not be accepted!"

"Don't worry. If he dies falling…we'll recognize our defeat during Kurapika's match and you'll have two victories of your own." Leorio said. "Something to say?"

"Fine." They said. "But I have a challenge! I bet 40 hours that he'll open his eyes!"

"Here we are…" Leorio said. "You're showing your true face…" he looked at Majitani. "Well, I release him-"

"Hey wait! Don't release me!" Majitani suddenly cried, opening his eyes. "I'm conscious! I'm conscious!" He ran away from Leorio. "You're dumb! And I'm silly to mix with you! That's okay, I've lost! You'll forgive me but…I feel more secure in jail!"

"Coward." I spat.

"You knew he would wake up." The inmate said to Leorio.

"So did you." he said. "Even if I'm just a cadet doctor, I can still tell if someone's fainted or not by looking at the movement of their eyes."

The sign changed again; now we only had 20 hours and they had 80.

"You only have 20 hours left." The inmate said.

"That may be true, but the score is now 2-1." He grinned. "Your turn! What do you bet on?"

"Ah…I…" they said, taking off the cloak.

Yup. Definitely a girl.

Leorio looked like he had been slapped. But…the kind of slap where you don't mind it. I took a wild guess that Leorio was girl-crazy. Just…not with certain girls. Me, for example.

"My name is Laluto." She said. "Let's bet on my gender: am I a man or a woman?"

I sweat-dropped. _'Oh God…'_

"I'm okay with this but…if I fail, how will you prove it to me?"

She smirked. "With my body. You're free to check me to obtain the answer."

I shook my head. Oh I couldn't take much more of this.

"Leorio…he'll bet it's a guy." Kurapika said.

"Yeah…" Killua agreed.

"Huh?" Gon asked. "But why? It's obvious that it's a girl."

I patted Gon's shoulder. "Ah Gon, always the innocent one."

He looked up at me in confusion. "Huh? Rhia, I don't understand."

I sighed. "Don't worry. You don't need to know about this until you're older. Much, much older."

He opened his mouth again, but I put my finger over it.

"Not now." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. Even though it was a little unsure and hesitant, it was still his smile. And that's what I loved about him.

'_DID I JUST THINK THAT?' _I shook my head gently. What was with me today? First I think Kurapika's beautiful with a light tank top on, and now I think I love Gon! Oh…it was going to happen again! My indecisive heart was going to kill me!

"Let's go." Leorio said. "I bet 10 hours that you're a male!"

"Yup, there we have it." Kurapika said in a shaky voice.

Killua shivered, not saying anything.

"What a pervert." I growled.

"Huh?"

"Not now Gon. When you're older." I said again.

"Sorry, but I'm a female." Laluto said.

Leorio didn't look disappointed at all. "What? Really? I was so sure you were a guy!"

"Liar!" I yelled at him. He ignored me.

Laluto smirked. "Do you want to check?"

Leorio grinned from ear to ear. "Uh…y-yeah!"

As he walked toward her, I promptly put my hands over Kurapika and Gon's eyes and blocked Killua's view. If he even TRIED to peek, I would nail him where it hurts with me heel. He got that message from my glare and so he turned around and faced the wall. I closed my eyes myself.

A few minutes later….

I could tell that it was over when I heard Leorio giggling. I opened my eyes and saw that it was, so I put my hands down, letting Gon and Kurapika see again.

"Why'd you do that Rhia?" Gon asked.

I sighed. "It's nothing you need to know till you're older."

"But Kurapika's older than me and you did the same thing to him." Gon said. He wasn't arguing, he was merely curious.

"Gon, I'm not that much older than you." Kurapika said.

"He didn't need to see it, that's why." I said, with a final note. But oh…was I going to give it to Leorio when he got back here!

"He's gonna lose." Tompa said. "Leorio doesn't have any more secrets for his opponent."

I grimaced. _'He's right…Leorio you are truly a fool.'_

"He has absolutely no sense of gaming." Tompa smirked. "Leorio always bet so that he limits the damages at the maximum. During a bet, someone who's incapable of making an abstraction of his previous defeat can't win."

"Your turn." Laluto said.

Leorio was silent for a few minutes, aside from when he was nearly pulling out his hair to try and think of something.

I sweat-dropped. "He can't think of anything? Really?"

"Well, there's not much left for him to bet on." Killua said.

Then Leorio turned his head and had this really weird grin on his face.

"Uh…why is he looking at me like that?" Kurapika asked.

"He probably wants to bet if you're a girl or a guy." I said with a smirk. "I must say…it is hard to tell…"

Kurapika glared at me. "Rhia!"

Leorio growled to himself.

"Whatever! I'll just use my luck!" he cried, putting his fist out in front of him. "We're going to bet on 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'!"

I face-palmed myself. "Oh you have _got _to be kidding…"

"Agreed. I bet 80 hours I'll win." Laluto said.

"What?" Leorio cried out.

"Does that bother you? Don't worry. If you lose, you'll only lose 10 hours."

They got ready and started.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

They both got rock.

Then they did it again. "Rock, paper, scissors!"

Laluto got paper and Leorio got…

Rock.

We lost it.

"End of the game!" Laluto cheered. "Hours ran out: defeat of Leorio!"

Leorio looked pretty defeated to me. _'I think I'll save his punishment for later…he'll only get really mad at me now…' _I thought.

"We're at a draw." Tompa said. "2-2."

"He lost to the bet's game, but overall…" Kurapika said. "We'll have to pay the 50 hours lost."

"Damn…" Leorio said when he got back. "I felt this game pretty well, never-the-less…"

"You're doing humor now?" Tompa asked. I didn't get it.

But I couldn't resist reprimanding him a little…

"You were such a pervert Leorio." I said, crossing my arms. "You lost all those hours for the sake of your own pleasure."

"She's right you know." Gon said. "Even though I still don't know what you did…"

Then I heard a voice coming from across the room.

"You don't like perverts do you?"

I half-turned and saw another inmate already standing on the arena.

I narrowed my eyes. "No, I don't."

He chuckled. "You don't really like boys at all do you?"

I growled.

"Rhia?" Gon asked quietly.

I didn't answer him. I kept my sights on the guy standing in the arena.

"Okay. My turn now." I said, walking forward.

"Be careful!" Gon cried as I walked across the stone bridge. I passed the spot where Majitani's fist had created a crater in the floor and I shivered a bit. God he freaked me out!

I stood in front of my opponent.

"So…what now?" I asked. I brushed my nails against my shirt, trying to hide how nervous I was.

"I want…a death match." He said. "Anything goes. You can use whatever weapon you want. But it will only end when one of us dies. No giving up, cause I haven't killed in a long time." I could practically see the grin on his face. "And I just adore little girls…"

That last sentence struck me. _'…Little…girls…?'_

"Be careful Rhia!" Leorio yelled. "Watch your back!"

I heard the guy chuckle. "You haven't changed a bit…Rhia."

My eyes widened in shock. He knew me? But how?

"Rhia you know him?" Leorio shouted.

I turned to him, glaring. "Shut up already!"

"Oh Rhia." He said, making me turn back to him. "Always the defensive one."

I growled again. "Look pal, I don't know who you are! And I'm not little!"

"Oh but you do know me Rhia. I'm shocked that you could have forgotten about me. Or have you finally learned how to let go of the past?"

I got into a fighting stance. "Show your face you coward!"

He sighed. "Fine by me." Then he took off his cloak.

I stopped breathing. My eyes widened in complete and total horror.

I _did _know him. I'd never forget those black, soul-less eyes.

He chuckled. "Oh look, you do remember."

I almost fell to my knees. No. No…it couldn't be…no…

"I don't think you ever learned my name though." He said. "My name's Derek. Just wanted to let you know. Cause I don't like it when people call me other names."

I balled my hands into fists, my eyes hidden by my bangs.

"It's just not nice. I know you called me some names that night…"

"…That night?" Kurapika repeated. "What is he talking about?"

Derek grinned at me. "Why Rhia, don't you have anything to say?"

"…You…you bastard." I spat. "You…goddamn bastard!"

He grinned. "That's it. Let it all out Rhia!"

I gave him a glare that could freeze Hell over. "You…" I grasped my sword. "YOU KILLED MARIAH!"

I jumped at him in pure fury, slashing. But he dodged my strokes, taunting me with every move.

"My, you've gotten better." He teased. "But not enough to finish me."

"I will kill you!" I screamed. "I will send you down into the deepest pits of Hell!"

He grinned. "Ah…now you're serious!"

I leaped at him again, but he kept getting just out of my reach.

But then, he tried to trip me, and I almost stumbled. This gave him the opening he needed, and he promptly knocked my sword out of my hand. Then in one swift motion, he held my arm behind my back and a dagger aimed at my throat.

"Rhia!" Gon yelled.

"Hey let her go!" Leorio cried. "How dare you trick her like that!"

"Heh heh." Derek chuckled. "Now your friends get to watch you die Rhia. Just like the little girl you watched as she drowned in her own blood."

I felt a tear fall down my cheek. _'Mariah…I couldn't help you…'_

"And then you called the police right? But what happened after that?" he asked, taunting me.

"…Stop." I said.

He ignored me.

"You left right? You just left her there."

"Stop." I said, more clearly.

"You were afraid so you left her all alone!"

"STOP!" I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"You're a coward Rhia!"

I growled audibly, making it sound like it came from sound kind of wild animal. I tried to elbow him in the stomach, and as I did, the knife blade cut through the cord of my necklace. I jumped away from Derek and landed on the other side of the arena, so I was now facing my friends.

THIRD PERSON P.O.V

Everyone just stood there. In complete and total shock. Rhia…was fighting the one who murdered her only friend. And it was…very shocking now.

Rhia was in a sort of crouched position across the arena, looking down at the ground. Little drops of moisture were falling from her cheeks, flowing endlessly. No one said one word. Except for Derek that is.

He laughed. "Well Rhia look at this!" he cried, holding up her precious necklace. The moon pendant shimmered eerily in the flickering firelight, and the dull red hue was fading.

But somewhere else it was intensifying.

"Are you not going to continue Rhia? Do you give up Rhia?" Derek taunted.

"Enough!" Kurapika suddenly yelled. He looked furious. "Shut up already! Only a coward would taunt someone like that!"

Then Rhia stood up, her eyes still hidden.

"That's it Rhia." Derek said, completely ignoring Kurapika's outburst. "Have you finally accepted your defeat?"

"…No." she said. "I'm not defeated. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Derek smiled. "That won't be for very long…" he held up his dagger, which glinted in the light. "It's ironic, you know? This is the same knife I was to kill that little girl…and now you're going to die because of it too."

"Don't kill Rhia!" Gon argued. "No! Don't!"

"Your friends can't save you now." Derek said.

"…I don't need saving." She said slowly, beginning to look up. "…You do."

Kurapika suddenly felt faint.

Rhia's eyes…were blood red.

There was only one way that would even be remotely possible.

Rhia…was a Kurta.

Her eyes weren't as bright as Kurapika's had been. Rhia's eyes were much darker, much more…threatening almost. And yet despite that they were a deep crimson color, they were shining brightly.

RHIA'S P.O.V

I knew what had just happened. My eyes had turned red. Now my secret was out. And everyone knew about it. Once my pendant came off, my eyes would immediately change to red if I was mad. Like now. I could see expressions of pure surprise on everyone's faces. Kurapika looked as though he'd faint.

Derek, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed at all.

"Heh…just like that night."

I snarled and leaped at him, finally landing a punch in his jaw. He flew back a couple feet as I landed where he had been. I didn't change my expression as he got up.

He rubbed his jaw. Now he looked mad.

"I didn't think you'd ever hit me." He said. "But that'll be the last thing you ever do."

I narrowed my eyes. "Bastard."

I grabbed my sword and jumped at him again. He wouldn't be able to dodge this time; I was much faster and more powerful when my eyes turned scarlet.

I brought the sword down in one, swift motion.

Stabbing him directly in the heart.

I stood there panting, sweat rolling down my brow, mixing with my tears as Derek stood there, blood oozing from his mouth. His eyes were widened in shock, staring directly at me, black and bottom-less.

"Rhia…" he whispered, choking on his own blood.

I snarled again. "Go to Hell."

With that, he promptly fell down, sliding off my sword. The blade glinted in the fire light, enhancing the shining blood dripping from the tip. It now matched my own eyes; dark red and dangerous.

As I walked past him, I bent down and took my necklace back from him. I glared at him one more time and then turned to the other criminals.

"I hope you're not expecting to have me clean this up."

Then I just walked back to the other end where my friends stood. I just hoped…

They'd still be my friends. After seeing what I just did…would they even want to be near me anymore? I just killed someone…and it didn't bother me. At all. I was glad he was dead. He ruined my life, turned it completely upside-down. But I finally got him back. However, I knew that killing him wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't take me back in time, it wouldn't fix anything…it wouldn't bring Mariah back…

So then why? Why did I kill him?

I didn't even know.

xxXXxx

So…too much? Was it a little too much? The scene with Derek I mean. Please give me some reviews and let me know about it. I really want to know! And…wait, Rhia's a Kurta? OMG! *sigh*

Okay, how many of you guys saw that one coming? Please be honest with me, cause I know I made it a tad obvious.

Kurapika: Tad? You made it about as clear as day.

Me: Shut it Blondie.

Please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE review this chapter! It would make me so happy!


	17. Jonas the Dissector

Next chapter! Yeah! Hope you like it!

Kurapika: Rhia owns nothing but herself-

Me: -and the random characters you know shouldn't be there. Like Derek for instance.

Kurapika: You sure love to have a terrible past don't you?

Me: *shrugs* Eh…it makes the character more interesting. Really, I doubt people would like me as much if I didn't have some kind of heart-wrenching back story.

Kurapika: *rolls eyes* Oh boy…Cune and Eve are right. You are EMO aren't you?

Me: No I'm not! Eve just says that I write like I'm EMO. She calls it EMO Sappiness.

Kurapika: Whatever…

Me: Story time! Yeah!

Before I go any farther, I would like to thank all of my reviewers! Special thanks go to** Yileen**, **hina0chan**, and **JoyPurple13**. Thanks you guys!

Chapter 17: Jonas the Dissector

RHIA'S P.O.V

I didn't say anything. Not a word. I was completely silent as I walked back to my friends. And they didn't try to get me to talk either. Not even Tompa said anything.

I walked to the back and sat down in a little corner, with my knees hugged up to my chest. My eyes hadn't returned to blue yet; I was still mad. It would take a while for them to change back on their own, so I put my necklace around my neck and tied it together, since Derek had sliced it.

Derek…

Oh even his name made my blood boil! I hated him! I hated his guts!

And now…I killed him.

It was a few minutes before anyone said anything.

"Okay, the last one's for me." Killua said, breaking the silence. He walked past Leorio, who was making a very…uh…shocked looking face.

Killua frowned. "Why are you making a face like that?" he asked in his regular monotone voice.

"Damn! I absolutely had to win so that we'd be able to go on! Kurapika! Gon! Rhia! Sorry!" he cried, clenching his hands.

Gon was holding Killua back now. "Gon, he's seriously beginning to irritate me." Killua said.

"Yes, but…" Gon said, not being able to finish his thought.

"You're giving up on me even though we haven't seen my adversary, nor the way he fights! If he gives me a problem with mental calculation, I can't tell, but…"

"You're not all wrong." Leorio said, cutting him off. "We may still have a chance."

I slowly raised my head and looked across the arena. The man Killua was going to fight…wow. He was…huge. That was really the only thing I could think of saying. Huge. Giant. And…as always, just plain creepy.

Leorio gasped in shock.

Gon looked at him. "You…you know him Leorio?"

Leorio ignored Gon and looked at Killua. "Killua! Just forget about the victory." He said, looking ahead. "Don't fight him."

"Why not?" Gon asked before Killua had a chance.

"Because he's Jonas the Dissector." Leorio said grimly.

I didn't bother to listen anymore. I already knew about Jonas, and I didn't want to hear about it again. He was just like another Derek to me.

'_He killed an 11 year old child…' _I thought to myself. I felt like crying. _'He pulled their heart out…while they were still alive…'_ I looked at Killua.

'_Get him.' _I thought.

Jonas walked out to the arena. As he did, he clutched onto part of the stone wall, broke it off, and then crumbled it into dust.

"It's been a long time…since I've touched human flesh…" he said in a deep voice.

Killua just stared out at him.

"You don't have to fight this monster." Leorio said. "After all, the Exam takes place every year…"

But Killua had already walked out to the arena.

"Hey-Killua!" Leorio yelled, but Killua just waved him away.

He faced Jonas. "How will we fight?"

Jonas' expression didn't change. "Fight? I don't think you understand. There will be a one-way massacre." He looked like he was trying to reach out to Killua. I instantly tensed.

"I don't care about this Exam, and also of this amnesty…all I want is to touch flesh." He said wistfully.

Killua didn't look fazed at all. Actually, he looked…bored.

Jonas continued, "Concerning you, just cry and shout. It will be enough…"

"Ok." Killua said shortly. "You think it's better to die than lose don't you?"

"Yes…and you're gonna-" he never finished his sentence.

Killua suddenly appeared behind him, and I spotted something…different. The look on his face…it gave me the chills. It wasn't a look that he should have been wearing…it was more like the look of a killer.

A killer with no remorse.

And also, I couldn't ignore the fact that a gaping hole had mysteriously appeared in Jonas' chest…right where his heart was. Well, I should actually say 'supposed to be'. Why you ask?

Because his heart was gone.

And Killua was holding it!

My jaw dropped open. Killua…did he really just…

He smirked at Jonas, holding the still beating heart in his hand, blood dripping from it, staining the ground beneath a muddy-red color.

Jonas looked at Killua in fear and staggered towards him. "G…gimme…"

The killer look on Killua's face intensified and he grinned. But I didn't like that look. He was seriously going to kill him! Oh yeah, like I have any room to talk.

Then, as Jonas jumped at Killua for the heart, Killua crushed it with his bare hands. I felt like I was going to throw up. Everyone else, including the other inmates, stared at Killua in shock.

Killua turned and looked at the criminals. "There. 4-2. I suppose with this, we can go, can't we?"

"Yes…you've won." Said the one Tompa had…er…chickened-out on. "Passing through here, you'll arrive in a small room where you'll have to wait out the 50 hours you lost."

"Yes." Killua said. "But aren't you a bit frustrated that you didn't get to fight? Don't you wanna play with me?"

"…I renounce." He said.

Killua walked back to us, and I heard Leorio mumbling.

"Him…where does he come from?" he asked aloud.

"Ah, it's true don't you know?" Gon said. We all looked at him.

"Killua's from a family of assassins." Gon said plainly, as if it's something that happens everyday. Well maybe in _his_ little world it did, but not in ours!

"What? An elite group of assassins?" Leorio cried out.

"Well, shall we go?" Killua asked when he reached us. They all headed towards the other side. I didn't get up right away however. I was sinking into a depression, although I don't know why.

"Rhia? You okay?"

I looked up and saw Kurapika standing there, looking worried.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. I stood up, and walked with him to the other side.

I didn't look at any of the criminals as we passed them. I just kept staring straight ahead.

Then we came to a room with a couch, two bean-bag chairs, a coffee table, a mini fridge, a T.V, and a book shelf. I looked around, not knowing what to do. I had to spend 50 hours in here? Oh I wasn't going to be any fun at all…not when I was in this mood. Killua wandered over to the bookshelves while Gon sat there and admired Killua's skateboard. Leorio just sat on the couch and Tompa-not surprisingly-sat down at the coffee table with food from the mini fridge. Kurapika just sat up against the wall.

I sat in a corner and plugged my MP3 player in. I didn't know what I was going to do. No one had spoken to me except for Kurapika asking if I was coming. I sighed softly. _'Oh God…what have I done?'_

I just wanted to disappear. I wanted to become invisible, so no one would see me.

But what good would that do?

Nothing at all.

Why did my life have to be this way? Even the first memory that I could remember clearly had to do with my life in danger. I guess I just wasn't meant to live a peaceful life. Every time it became even remotely tranquil, something happened that shattered the sweet illusion and brought back the dark clouds of fear and doubt.

As I sat there, I began to slowly drift off into an uneasy sleep. But I forgot to warn my friends of one, tiny little detail that now seemed extremely important.

…I talk in my sleep.

xxXXxx

I know that this chapter was short, but nothing else really happens after this. So I cut it a little short. But tell me, how did you like it? I know Rhia's in a little depression right now, but it won't last very long. *grins* I have great plans for the next chapter…which is something that I know some of you are just dying for! *giggles*

Please Read&Review!

By the way, I actually do talk in my sleep. I mostly mumble things no one can understand, but sometimes, I growl and purr in my sleep. My friends always say that whenever they hear me growling, then purring, then growling again in my sleep, I'm dreaming about Kurapika.

About 90% of the time it's true. ^^;


	18. My How Time Flies!

Here's the chapter you've been waiting for! I hope you like it!

Kurapika: You know, I'm amazed that you actually manage to get up in the mornings.

Me: Yeah…me too. ^^; But I'm doing really well! I have mostly A's and a couple B's in my school work!

Kurapika: 0_0 How do you do it?

Me: *winks* Heh heh! It's a secret my little Kurta!

Kurapika: *rolls eyes* Oh boy…

Gon: Rhia owns nothing but herself!

Me: WAH! *falls out of chair in surprise*

Kurapika: Hi Gon.

Gon: Hey Kurapika! Hi Rh-*looks under table* Rhia?

Me: *pulls self off of ground* Where do you come from?

Gon: *shrugs* I don't know.

Killua: *sigh* Can we please get to the story now?

Me: I like the way you think! Story time!

I would like to note here that Rhia does not know she is a Kurta, because she doesn't remember it. All she knows is that her eyes turn red. Only Kurapika and you wonderful readers know that she is a Kurta.

Chapter 18: My How Time Flies!

RHIA'S P.O.V

I was completely enveloped in the darkness surrounding me. I called out, but no one came. I couldn't hear anyone either.

I was completely alone, lost in the darkness.

I started crying. When was the last time I cried? Oh I don't even remember. But there I was, with tears falling down my face, staining my cheeks.

Then, I felt a presence coming to me. I couldn't see the face…but I knew who it was…

I reached out blindly for the new person, desperately seeking comfort. I felt something soft and heard a low, throaty sound…

"Ch…Chey…" I choked on my tears. "Cheyenne…"

"Rhia?"

I sat bolt upright, panting. Sweat rolled down my brow.

The room was still dark, and I could hear Leorio's snores. I sighed when I realized it was just a dream, and that I was still with my friends. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and for once my fears were calmed.

"Rhia?"

I turned my head and saw Kurapika sitting up, looking at me. There was…something like worry in his eyes, but I couldn't be sure. It took me a moment to realize exactly how close he was sitting to me. I suddenly felt very nervous.

"Yeah Blondie?" I asked quietly.

"Are you okay?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"…You were talking in your sleep."

I mentally cursed myself. "Okay…" I sighed. "What did I say?"

He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.

I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "What?"

"Well…at first it was just mumbling." He said. "But then…it sounded like you were…purring."

I blushed. Purring? Aw crap.

"Then it turned into growling, then purring again, then growling. Rhia you sounded like some kind of feral cat."

I crossed my arms as he chuckled himself to death over my odd noises.

"Aw shut up Blondie." I closed my eyes. "I talk in my sleep. So what?"

"But…then you started actually talking."

I looked at him again. He wasn't laughing.

"…What did I say?"

"Rhia…you started crying in your sleep." He said.

I absentmindedly wiped a lingering tear from my cheek. I _had _started crying. But…I couldn't remember exactly why…

"And then you said something like…" he paused.

"What? Blondie what did I say?" Why did I sound so desperate? Maybe I said something I couldn't remember…something connected to my past.

He looked straight into my eyes. "Cheyenne."

Something clicked in my mind when I heard that name. Cheyenne…

How did I know someone named Cheyenne?

"Rhia…" he trailed off. He opened his mouth to say something when Leorio snored extra loud, making us jump. I growled softly. _'Oh Leorio, you're going to get it! God he scared me!'_

I looked at Kurapika again, wondering what he had been about to say. But now he looked unsure.

"…Blondie?" I asked, gaining his attention. I…I wanted to know something. And I wanted to know now. "…Who am I?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I know?"

"Because your eyes turn red." I said. "My eyes turn red. We're the same."

He suddenly looked very sad. Had I said something wrong?

"…Rhia-"

"Rhia? Kurapika? You guys are awake?"

We both turned our heads and saw Gon and Killua were up. Gon was rubbing his eyes sleepily, which made him look so much younger. Killua was sitting near Gon, his arms behind his head and one foot on his skateboard. I felt myself blushing again.

"When did you two wake up?" Kurapika asked. I saw a light blush creeping up his face as well.

"…'Bout five…minutes ago." Gon answered while yawning.

Killua said nothing. He just looked around the room, like he was searching for something.

"Are you looking for something?" I asked him.

He looked at me and shrugged. "Nothing in particular."

"We should wake up the two logs over there and get ready to go." Kurapika said, standing up. He walked over to Leorio and gently shook his shoulder.

"Leorio, wake up." He said.

All he got for a response was a moan. I rolled my eyes. _'Oh boy…' _

"Leorio. Leorio!"

"He's a sound sleeper." Gon remarked.

I looked over at Tompa. "Can't we just leave him there?"

"Rhia, we can't do that." Kurapika told me. "And as much as we'd like to, we actually need him. The Majority Rules remember?"

I pouted. "So? I've never listened to the rules before, and look where I am now?"

"Yeah, locked in a tower." Killua scoffed.

I raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Leorio!"

"Oh let me do it." I said in exasperation. I gently moved Kurapika aside, and as I touched his arm, I felt like my hormones were going haywire. But I managed not to let them show, and I promptly reached over to a side table, and picked up a glass.

"Rhia…" Kurapika said. I looked at him and smirked.

"Well, you have any better ideas?"

He stayed silent. But I saw his eyes widen in horror as I tilted the glass of liquid towards the snoring Leorio.

"Rhia-"

"Blondie, stop it." I said in annoyance. Then, I just completely dumped the glass on Leorio's head.

He jumped up with a loud yell of shock, and Gon, Killua and I fell over laughing. He looked so disoriented it was just funny.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" he yelled.

Kurapika crossed his arms. "Calm down Leorio. You wouldn't get up…so Rhia took things into her own hands."

He glared silently at me.

I put my hand over my mouth and giggled. "Tee hee!"

"You really are a trouble-maker aren't you?"

"You bet I am!"

"We need to get ready to go." Kurapika said, getting between us. "Leorio, wake Tompa up."

LATER….

We were all packed and ready go.

"Okay, we have roughly 9 hours and 43 minutes left." Leorio said, checking his watch. "We have to hurry!"

With that, he ran out of the room and we all followed. We were jogging for a while until we came to a stop. There were two staircases, one that went up, and one that went down. I raised an eyebrow. _'Huh? Why…oh this is ridiculous!'_

"Huh?" Leorio cried. "Which way?"

For some reason, we somehow decided to go up. I didn't question, I just ran. We ran for about 30 minutes, and then we came to another room. Unfortunately, we'd been there already. We had returned to the fighting arena!

I threw my hands up. "Oh come on!"

"We wasted 30 minutes running here!" Leorio shouted. He was totally aggravated now.

"We should have gone downstairs." Killua said with a blank stare.

"Shut up! I remind you that you were fine with the choice we made!" Leorio yelled at him. Killua seemed unfazed however, and just gave him his bored look.

So we went back to the stairs and went down this time.

I was beginning to believe that the whole tower was one giant booby trap!

After the stairs, we had to use the Majority Rules again. Our choice ended up with a boulder appearing out of nowhere, and chasing us down a hallway. There were a lot more tricks and traps, but I can tell you one thing that was similar with all of them.

We all RAN LIKE HELL.

Then, we finally arrived at another room. We stood there, panting. "We have to hurry." Leorio panted. "We don't have much time left!"

There was a sign that said 'O to open door, X do not open door'.

"Well it's obvious that we want to open the door!" Leorio cried, pushing O.

One person pressed X.

Leorio was now, OFFICIALLY TICKED OFF.

He whirled around to Tompa and grabbed his shirt collar.

"You'd better stop!" he shouted. "I'm really fed up with you!"

"Hey don't get so mad. I pressed O." Tompa said.

"Stop lying!"

"Leorio!" Gon interjected. He pointed to himself. "It was my fault. I pressed the X button by mistake."

Leorio let Tompa's shirt go. "Oh." He turned away.

"Hey wait a minute Leorio." Tompa said. "I think you owe me an apology."

Leorio turned and glared at Tompa. "I have no intention of apologizing. Since the beginning you've purposely been doing the opposite of what you should be doing."

Tompa returned the glare. "You don't have any room to talk you know."

"What?"

"Who's the one who lost 50 hours?" Tompa asked. "You're the one who made the big mistake, not me!"

Uh-oh…

"Enough!" Kurapika yelled. He put his hand on Leorio's arm. "Leorio-hey!"

Leorio pushed Kurapika away from him. I sensed something bad was about to happen. Leorio brought out his little knife and Tompa got into a fighting stance.

"Both of you grow up!" I yelled.

"Calm down you two!" Gon added.

"Well, I'll go now." Killua said, walking through the door. He suddenly stopped and turned back to us. "Hey, the exit's not far from here!"

"Really?" I cried, running into the room.

When we were all in there, no one moved. Above two doors across the room was the weirdest statue-thing I'd ever seen. I won't even describe it, it was so creepy looking.

"_Last junction." _Said a voice from the statue. _"Now is the time for your last choice. Are you ready to acknowledge it?" _

"Does it really even matter?" Leorio asked, pressing a button. "Of course we are!"

Again, someone pressed X.

This time I'm pretty sure it was Tompa.

Leorio looked like he was going to throttle Tompa and Kurapika yelled at him.

"Stop it! Do you really think we have time for this?"

Then, the voice came back from the statue.

"_Well, choose one of the two doors. There's two roads…the first allows six people to go, but is long and difficult. The second only allows four people, but is short and easy."_

I saw where this was going. And I didn't like it.

"_Concretely, it's impossible, even hurrying, to exit the first road in less than 45 hours. If you take the second road, you will reach the end in about 3 minutes."_

Why is my feeling of foreboding never wrong?

"_Press O for the long and difficult path, and X for the short path. If you push on X, then the door will open as soon as two of you make yourselves prisoners. They'll use the chains on the wall." _

I looked over and saw manacles hanging from the wall, and weapons along the wall too. I hadn't noticed them before…but now I did. There were so many! Some of them I'd never even seen before, but some others were the usual swords, knives, clubs…even spears!

"Well…" Leorio said. "I should tell you this now. I don't intend on making myself a prisoner, so I'm pushing X."

We were all kind of shocked, but Gon and Kurapika looked the most shocked out of us.

"It doesn't matter which way." Leorio continued. "I'll be one of the people leaving this room."

He looked around the room. "It's all been planned. The room's well equipped with weapons. Do they expect us to decide by fighting?"

"I'll push on O." Gon said. "We came here all together, and that's how I want to leave. Together."

"Gon…" Kurapika trailed off.

"Even if it's risky," Gon continued. "My choice will be the same."

"Hey!" Killua cried. "That's not only risky, it's impossible! We don't even have an hour! The only choice we have is to choose the short way!"

Leorio turned to me. "And you Rhia? Which way do you choose?"

I looked at him for a moment and then sighed. "…I'm with Gon."

"Rhia!" Killua shouted.

I gave him a look. "I don't care if I don't pass. I agree with what Gon says. If we came here together, then we should leave together." I smiled softly. "Besides…I couldn't leave one of you guys behind." _'…You're not just my friends…you're my family…' _

"Okay, but the question is…who'll pass?" Leorio asked no one in particular.

"So if none of us have the intention of giving up…the only solution I see is combat." Killua said, looking around warily.

Oh God, I didn't want to fight these guys! I couldn't hurt them-except for Tompa. But also because I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against them! For God's sake I was only like five inches taller than Gon!

"Hey I have an idea!" Gon suddenly cried. We all looked at him questionably.

LATER…

I walked out of the dark passage and into the light, with Gon, Kurapika and Killua at my side. A voice from a loudspeaker somewhere announced that there were 30 seconds left. Gon sighed.

"Just in time."

"I can't feel my hands." Kurapika said, looking at them.

"It was risky…" came Leorio's voice from behind me. "But it was worth it." He and Tompa emerged from the shadows, just as the time ran out.

"All six of us were able to make it out." Leorio said with a smile.

I smiled too. Maybe now my little family would be able to stay together…just a little longer.

"And it's all thanks to Gon." I said, patting his shoulder.

He smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't all me. It was all of us together!"

What we had done was we had chosen the long and difficult path, and then we took some axes and smashed through the wall, creating another opening so we could enter the short and easy path.

"Entering through the long and difficult way, and using the 50 minutes left to chop our way through the wall and join the short and easy way…" Kurapika said out loud. "Proceeding this way, it was sure that we could all reach the goal."

"You said it Blondie." I laughed, clapping my hand on his shoulder.

"Rhia!" he accused playfully, tousling my hair.

"Hey!"

"Children!" Leorio reprimanded us with a laugh.

So now the third phase was over…and only 25 of us had passed. Well, one of the guys died right after he walked through the door, so technically it was only 24. But what mattered to me was that we had all made it out together. We were all alive and ready for the next phase.

But…what would it be? I was getting anxious now. I couldn't wait.

xxXXxx

*giggle* Heh heh! I hope you liked this chapter! It took me quite a while to do! But I really want your feedback, so please leave some comments! I would love to read them! And…okay who do you think the new character is? The one from Rhia's dream.

Cheyenne.

Read&Review everyone!


	19. Time for Treasure!

*laughs like an insane fan-girl* IT'S FINALLY HERE! MWHAHAHAHAHA!

Kurapika: *sweat-drop* 0.0

Me: *continues to laugh*

Kurapika: *turns to readers* Uh…sorry 'bout this guys. Rhia's uh…having a break-down of some sort…

Me: *falls off chair, still laughing*

Kurapika: Okay there is something seriously wrong with you!

Killua: Hm…what can we do to snap her out of it?

Me: *bolts upright* I'm fine! No need for Killua to start plotting!

Killua: *smirks* Oh darn!

Gon: Rhia owns nothing but herself, and characters created by her!

Me: Time for the chapter! Hooray!

Kurapika: Oh boy…

Chapter 19: Time for Treasure!

RHIA'S P.O.V

Well, let me recap just a bit with what happened. After we finished the third phase, we were taken aboard the Committee's airship again, and again, we had no idea where we were going. But I was happy. We were all still together, and I was going to stick with these guys through the entire Exam to the end.

Which I feared was coming soon…

So we were on the airship, flying over an ocean. I frowned as I looked out the window. I was beginning to wonder if I was psychic, what with all these premonitions.

I was getting a strange…deja vu feeling. Like…I'd been here before. But how? How could I have come to this place before?

"You okay Rhia?" Gon asked from my side. I looked at him and smiled.

"I'm fine Gon. Really I am."

He frowned a bit but said nothing more on the subject.

Then the airship landed.

We all walked down the ramp and set our feet on solid ground. That is to say, solid iron. Cause we were on another ship, but this time it was an old battleship. My jaw dropped. Wow.

"Do you think this is the site for the next phase?" Kurapika asked aloud.

But he didn't get an answer since we were too busy making sure Leorio didn't throw up on himself.

"I wonder what it's going to be." Gon voiced aloud.

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

Leorio sounded like he was seriously going to puke. "Oh…I don't…feel…so good…"

"If you're going to puke, don't do it here." Killua said in an annoyed voice.

"I should have taken…a pill for…motion sickness…" he trailed off.

"Hello applicants. We are your hosts." Came a voice from behind us. We turned around and saw an elderly couple standing before us. The one who had spoken was the wife. She seemed very friendly to me…

"Welcome to our hotel." They said together.

I narrowed my eyes…they looked kind of familiar to me…but I wasn't sure. I would have to find out later…

"Do you think they're the next examiners?" Leorio asked, trying not to throw up.

"No. They're not." Killua said simply.

"How do you know?" Leorio challenged. He really did sound sick…

"I just got a feeling. Isn't that what Gon always says?" Killua replied.

"May I point out to you that you aren't Gon?" I asked.

"I think that's a bit obvious." Tompa said with a smirk. It took all of my self-control not to wring his fat neck right then and there.

"We're so pleased that all of you could make it." the woman said. "My name is Banner and I'm the manager of this hotel. I run it with my husband Jinner."

"Nice to meet you all." Jinner said.

"Did I hear you say that this is a hotel?" Hanzo asked as he walked up to the couple.

"That's right." Jinner said. "Part of this ship has been converted into a First-Class hotel with all the amenities. In the past we've had the honor of hosting his majesty the King of Nebra. Also this hotel is a favorite among celebrities who refer to it as 'The White Palace on the Ocean'." He looked as if he was about to say more when Hanzo stepped closer, so that he was now blocking the sun.

"Yeah, uh I didn't ask for a sales pitch. Uh let's get to the point are you the Examiners or not?"

Jinner turned to his wife. "Are we?"

I face-palmed myself. "Oh boy…" I mumbled.

"Yes that's a very good question." Banner said happily. "The Exam Committee has given me a message to deliver to all of you applicants. 'If you've made it this far, then congratulations on a job well done. The fourth phase will begin three days from now. Until then, please take a break and enjoy all that this island has to offer.'"

"Wow a break!" Gon cried happily.

"Ah that's too bad, I was really looking forward to getting right into the next phase." Leorio said with a smile.

I smirked. "Well you sure got better fast."

Then he suddenly turned around and threw up over the side of the dock. I sweat-dropped.

"I spoke too soon…"

"I told you to go throw up somewhere else." Killua said in an aggravated voice.

"This has been pretty intense from day one; a little rest and relaxation would do us a lot of good." Kurapika said.

Everyone all nodded and murmured in agreement. We started walking towards the entrance.

"Ah…I can't wait…" Leorio moaned. "I'm going to take the longest, hottest shower in history."

"Just a minute please." Banner said.

We turned.

"Great, now what?" Leorio asked.

"Here you have to pay in advance." Banner said. "10 million jenis per person."

I very nearly fainted.

"10 million jenis?" Leorio cried.

"That's what it costs?" Gon yelled.

"Seriously?" Killua asked. He didn't really seem that bothered by it though…

"That's way too expensive!" Kurapika argued.

"For that price I could stay at the most deluxe hotel in York Shin City for six months!" Tompa said.

Gon walked up to the couple. "Um…is there a special price for kids who don't have a lot of money?"

"Who do you think we are?" Leorio shouted. "Do we look like royalty or something? Hardly anyone in the world has cash like that to spend!"

"If you can't afford to pay, we can't allow you to stay." Jinner said. "Sorry."

Leorio threw his hands up. "Fine by me! I'd rather stay out on the island somewhere than stay in one of your ridiculously over-priced room-"

"You'll last three days." Kurapika interrupted. _'There he goes again…' _

"Huh?"

"The problem is water. On an island this small, there's little chance of finding a fresh water spring. All you can do is hope for rain. And under a tropical sun like this, we'd be completely de-hydrated in two days. And even if it does rain, it's still unlikely we'd recover enough strength to endure the rest of the Exam."

I sighed. "Always the optimistic one aren't you Blondie?"

"Well what am I supposed to do?" Leorio shouted. "Even in my wildest dreams I've never had that kind of money!"

"For people in your situation we offer…an alternative way of payment." Jinner said suddenly.

"…Like what?" I asked.

"It's simple. What have you got to…trade?"

xxXXxx

I almost fell in the water but Killua caught me.

"Be more careful will you?" he asked in annoyance. "Geeze…"

I growled. "It's not my fault! It's the damn boat! It's so old that every time I take a step, I almost break it!"

He huffed and crossed his arms. "Well then why don't you try a different boat?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh wow genius I _never _would have thought that plan up."

"Stop being sarcastic and go find your treasure." Killua said.

I stalked away. "Fine!"

I almost fell again but this time I caught myself. "I'm fine!" I called out.

"Sure." Killua answered in a monotone voice.

I ignored him and went to find a different ship. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blonde head of hair disappear inside a bright red ship. I raised an eyebrow.

"Blondie? What's he doing?" I asked myself quietly. I was going to follow him when I saw a box in some shallow water. It was about six inches long and five inches wide. The wood was very plain and there weren't any markings on it of any kind. And yet…I felt drawn to it. I reached down and picked it up. It was surprisingly heavy, but I guessed that it was water-logged. The lock on it was old and rusted. I sat down on a dry part of one of the wrecks and played with the lock. It fell right off.

I carefully opened the lid and was surprised.

It wasn't water-logged at all; it was completely dry inside. But what surprised me was what was inside.

It was a beautiful silver chain, with a large leaf charm on the end. I'd never seen anything like it before in my life. The links of the chain were very intricate and delicate looking. The leaf had three points to it, and was a bright emerald green color. Little wisps of silver were wrapped around the leaf, and seemed to connect at the back. It was beautiful…

I closed the lid and put the box under my arm; I had found my treasure.

xxXXxx

When everyone was done we all piled onto the dock. I saw lots of big trunks, and some bags. They were all much bigger than my little leaf-box. Gon and Killua were carrying a giant chest up to the table. They put it up there and opened the lid. It was full of jewels!

"How's this?" Killua asked with a smirk. "It's got to be at least worth a hundred million."

Jinner inspected the jewels with a little magnifying glass.

"I'm afraid it's worth only about a hundred thousand." Jinner said.

"What?" Killua cried, outraged. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well for starters, you've got a whole bunch of jewels mixed in with the diamonds here, and most of them need to be re-cut."

"A second-class cabin for you." Banner said, handing Killua the room key. He growled and followed Gon away from the table.

Gon sighed. "Even if they aren't perfect, I'm sure Aunt Mito would love to have some of these…"

I smiled at him. "You're so sweet Gon. I'm sure she'd love them even though they aren't perfect."

He grinned. "Yeah, it would make her happy!"

Then Leorio nearly fell over as he walked up with a huge chest.

"Woah!" Gon cried. "You got a lot!"

"I sure did!" Leorio winked. "With this treasure I won't even need to finish the Exam!"

"Seriously?" Gon asked. He and Killua bent down to inspect it.

"Of course I'm serious! With this I can become a doctor and spend my life rolling in money!" He then opened the lid, and fell over in shock.

"Uh what are those?" Gon asked, poking one of the big black balls.

"They look like cannon balls to me." Killua said.

Gon looked at him. "Do you think they're worth a lot of money?"

"I don't know; why don't you ask him?" Killua replied.

They both looked at Leorio, who was on the ground twitching.

"So what do you think Leorio?" Gon asked innocently. "Can you spend your life rolling in money?"

I was close to falling over from laughing so hard. Then Kurapika stepped up to the table. He held out a big pendant in the shape of a lizard with red jewels on it.

"Oh…" Jinner breathed. "And what is this?" he asked, gently taking it from Kurapika.

"…The legendary Golden Pendant of the Kurta Clan, which offers protection to whoever wears it." he replied, his face expressionless.

Jinner held it up to the light and then looked at him. "…It's genuine."

Gon and Killua came up next to him. "Is it worth a lot?" Gon wondered aloud.

"I'm afraid it's not worth a lot of money…" Jinner replied.

"I have no intention of exchanging this for a room." Kurapika said. "As the owner of this hotel I was wondering if you could tell me about it." he pointed out to the red ship. "How long has that ship been there?"

Jinner looked out where he was pointing. "Unfortunately, I can't answer your question. The ship was here before we were. And I'm sure that you know more about the Kurta Clan than I do."

Kurapika lowered his head sadly. "I see…"

Jinner placed the pendant back in his hand. "Here. You can have this back. And this," he added, putting a key on the table. "Is yours as well. It's the key to your room."

Kurapika took both objects and bowed slightly. "…Thanks very much…"

By now, most of the examinees had already gone to their rooms. When I say most, I mean that the only ones left were myself and my friends.

Then I stepped up.

"And what do you have there?" Jinner asked.

I opened the lid of the box and took out the leaf pendant for him to see. His eyes widened and he took it from my hand.

"Oh my…I've never seen anything like this before…" he said.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked.

"I've heard legends about this…" he said softly. "This appears to be the Pendant of Gwendolyn, the Enchantress. She was a sorceress who lived nearly two thousand years ago…they say her ship crashed around here, but nothing was ever found…this is supposedly her necklace, the one she never took off…"

"Gwendolyn…" I whispered to the wind. "…And…I don't think I want to exchange this for a room either."

He looked up at me.

"I…feel like there's some kind of connection with it…" I said, staring at it.

Jinner nodded in understanding and handed it back to me. He also gave me a key.

"Take good care of it." he said.

I smiled at him. "Yes sir I will!"

He peered at me. "…You seem familiar…" he said quietly.

I blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

He folded his hands on the table. "…Tell me…did you know a couple named Caleb and Miranda?"

I went extremely pale. "…Uh…yes…I did…"

He nodded. "I thought so. Banner and I used to live near them. You were the little girl who washed ashore after the storm aren't you?"

The memory came flooding back.

Lightening flashed and thunder roared. I remembered complete darkness, and then a searing pain on the side of my head.

I blinked, bringing myself back to the present.

"…I'm sorry." Jinner said sadly. I nodded; I knew what he was talking about.

I didn't say a word as I turned and ran towards where my room was. I really didn't need this now. I didn't need to remember those wonderfully painful years! I didn't want to!

I didn't want to remember their deaths…

xxXXxx

I'm so sorry for the long delay. I hope this chapter was good enough for you guys! And yes, I used the name Gwendolyn in here. I like that name. (Those of you who know about my Lord of the Rings obsession know what I'm talking about…) And wait, what's this? Someone here knows Rhia from when she was a child? Who are Caleb and Miranda? And what kind of connection did Rhia have with them? What happened to them?

Oh so many questions! Please leave some nice reviews, okay? Cause I really would like to have them!


	20. The Eye in the Storm

*twitches in excitement* This is it…the chapter you've all been waiting for. (Well, at least I have been.)

Kurapika: …Okay now I'm worried.

Me: HA! You should have been worried when the story started! *evil laughter*

Kurapika: *sweat-drops* Okay then…

Me: And now…for the main event! Drum roll please! *drums sound in the background*

Gon: Aren't you going to do the disclaimer Rhia?

Killua: *smirks* Yeah I thought you learned about copyright today in Computer Lit?

Me: *pales* Darn you're right…uh…

Kurapika: Rhia own nothing but herself, and other characters who you know shouldn't be there.

Me: *blinks* …Thanks Blondie.

(Gon and Killua look at each other.)

Kurapika: …Anyways…

Me: Story time! SWEETNESS!

Chapter 20: The Eye in the Storm

RHIA'S P.O.V

I was sitting on one of the shipwrecks, staring at the leaf pendant I found. Why did I feel a strange connection with it? Did I have a connection with it? Where exactly did it come from? And more importantly…just exactly…

Who was _I_?

I remembered a storm, but nothing more. I remembered washing up on the shore, and then seeing Caleb's face. But…nothing before that. I didn't have any memories from the time before that. Well…none that I could see.

But I remember…sounds. I remember hearing things that didn't belong in a storm. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could hear laughter, the high pitched kind little kids have. I could remember hearing birds twittering…and barking. I could hear lots of barking.

Then I realized I wasn't quite alone and I opened my eyes. I saw a blonde head disappear into the red ship. I raised an eyebrow. Blondie was going into that ship again? What for?

My curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I quietly followed him.

When I reached the ship, I hesitated a bit before going inside. He'd been rather…moody lately…and the very last thing I wanted was him getting mad at me…

But I took a deep breath and walked into the hold. It was dark and rather musty inside, but I could see Kurapika's form moving around. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing though.

"…Blondie?" I said quietly.

He paused and then turned to me. "Rhia? What are you doing here?"

"…I was going to ask you the same thing." I said, walking closer. "…Blondie…"

He waited patiently for me to continue.

"…This…this was a Kurta ship…wasn't it?"

Kurapika's head lowered in answer. "…Yes. It was."

I looked around. "…Is there something I can do to help?"

He looked at me strangely. "…Rhia…is something wrong?"

"Huh?" I looked at him again. Yup, that was definitely worry in his eyes. But why?

"Dose your head hurt?" he asked.

I didn't even notice that my hand had unconsciously wandered up to the side of my head.

"…I don't think so…" I said. What was wrong with me?

Kurapika turned back to what he had been doing before. It looked like he was cleaning.

"…Blondie…" I asked quietly. "…What happened here?"

There was no anger in his voice, but it was like he snapped at me. "You should know; you were here."

I stood stock still. What? Me? Here? It could explain the storm…but if I had been here…then that meant…

"…I'm a Kurta?" I said.

Kurapika turned to look at me; I couldn't tell what was in his eyes. "…Yes. Rhia you and I are the last Kurta."

I didn't answer. I felt that I couldn't. But there were questions racing around my head, and they needed to be answered.

"…Then…tell me." I said, looking directly at him.

"Tell you what?"

"Who I am." I replied.

He didn't look surprised. He just nodded slightly. "…Yes you are a Kurta. And…we knew each other…when we were younger."

I crossed my arms. "If we really did know each other then why didn't we recognize each other?"

"There are some…differences." He said. "…Rhia, you're not the same."

"So? I'm not the same way I was. Does that bother you in some way?"

"Rhia," he said, walking over to me. "…You wouldn't remember. You couldn't see."

I huffed. "How do you know-" I stopped short. "…What? What did you say?"

Kurapika took a deep breath. "…You couldn't see. Rhia when I knew you…you were blind."

…Blind? I had been…BLIND? I was quiet for a long time.

"…That would explain why I don't remember seeing anything." I said after a while. "…All I remember before the storm are sounds. I can't see anything but black; and then I can see the storm." I rubbed my head again. "…I guess I hit my head on a rock or something…"

"Rhia what happened during the storm?" Kurapika asked.

I closed my eyes. "…I'm not…entirely sure…but I think…no, I know…we were being chased…spiders…"

"Spiders?" he repeated. Kurapika looked around the ship. "…They did find it. They did catch this ship…I hoped…it had been an accident…"

I suddenly spied something over in the corner and went to pick it up.

"Rhia?" Kurapika asked, noting my diverted attention.

I stood up slowly, holding the object in my hand. I turned to face him and held it out.

A plain piece of bright red leather was stretched across my palm, the scratched letters barely visible.

"…Cheyenne." I said simply. "…I remember her. Cheyenne…she was my dog wasn't she?"

Kurapika suddenly chuckled. "Sometimes I swore you were sisters; it was impossible to separate you two."

I was silent as I stared at the piece of leather that had been her collar. I felt my eyes brimming with tears. "…Tell me about her." I looked at Kurapika. "…Please?"

He smiled slightly and sat down. "Come on Rhia." He said, patting the ground next to him. I took a seat next to him and waited for him to start.

"…Well let's see…Cheyenne…was probably the biggest dog I'd ever seen." He said. "She was HUGE and all black. I think she was a cross between…a black German Shepherd…and a wolf."

"A wolf?" I repeated.

"I guess wolf because of her size. She was about the size of…um…" he looked around, as if to find an example. Instead he got up and picked up a long piece of broken wood.

"Right about here." He said, pointing to a spot on the wood. "That's where her shoulder came up to me; and I was like seven at the time."

I smiled slightly. "…She was big."

He nodded and came next to me. "Yup. And her eyes were bright green. More like neon green actually."

"Green?" I repeated. "That's a strange eye color for a dog."

He shrugged. "Well I'm not sure why her eyes were like that. But they were pretty…" he trailed off.

"…And what else?" I asked. "Do you know anything else about her?"

"Not much…she was extremely loyal though." He said. "And that's really all I know."

I nodded in understanding. I looked at him in the eye. "…Thanks Blondie."

He smiled a bit. "I'm glad I could help."

I stood up. "I'm going to go and lay down…this is a lot to take in…"

He nodded as I passed him. "Oh, and Rhia," he said, stopping me before I left.

I turned around.

"…I'm glad you made it…" he said softly.

I felt my eyes welling with tears as I smiled. "…I'm glad you made it too."

xxXXxx

I sat blot upright with a little yelp. That dream…oh that damn dream! I covered my eyes with my palms and tried to calm down. It was the same dream I'd had before…the same nightmare.

'…_Mariah…I'm so sorry. I…I'm sorry.' _

This was driving me to the edge! I couldn't take it anymore! I couldn't take the guilt I had to carry with me every day! The guilt of knowing that I was the cause of her death! It was all my fault! All my fault!

I started sobbing into my blankets.

I could hear the wind outside the cabin; it sounded like a storm was coming. A big one too. I looked up and saw my reflection in the mirror across the room. I looked like a ghost. My pale face was streaked with tears and my dark blue eyes were wide with fright. I shivered, hugging my knees to myself. It was so cold in my room…or was that just me?

I suddenly jumped up, throwing the blankets off myself. I ran out of the room and stopped, taking deep gulps of air. I needed them badly; I felt like I was suffocating. But the much-needed breaths of air did nothing except fuel my tears. In the distance I could see dark storm clouds.

I turned and ran down the corridor. I didn't even know where I was headed; I just let my feet take me.

I stopped in front of another cabin door. I knew who's it was too…

But would I go in?

It was Kurapika and Leorio's room. I didn't want to barge in on them, and I especially didn't want to go in if both were there…

But when there was a sudden flash of lightening from behind me, I opened the door and slipped inside. I found it interesting that the door was unlocked, but I didn't want to dwell on that at the moment. I sank to my knees, feeling strangely safe…

"You could knock."

I swear, I jumped about three feet in the air at the unexpected voice. Well, technically I knew he'd be there but my frazzled little mind was on edge. I whipped my head and saw a very ticked-off-looking Kurta standing there. Evidently he had just gotten out of the shower, since he was shirtless and his hair was dripping.

I felt my face heat up to a dangerous temperature.

"What are you doing in here?" Kurapika asked. He was frowning at me, with a towel in one hand.

I couldn't answer. I was frozen there, just staring.

He sighed. "Rhia, do you mind?" he saw my face and paused. "…Rhia? Is something wrong?"

I buried my head into my arms. God why the hell was I feeling so damn self-conscious? Was it possible that there was something _else _wrong with me?

"Rhia?" he asked again. He bent down to my level. I just stared back at him, into those deep emerald pools.

"…What are you afraid of?"

Wow, he was good. I didn't answer though, and I just rested my chin on my arms, waiting for this night to end. I felt a tear run down my cheek.

And he wiped it away with his thumb. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have nightmares?" I asked quietly.

Kurapika didn't answer for a couple minutes.

"…Yes. Sometimes. Did you have a nightmare?" he asked gently.

I nodded.

"About what?"

I shook my head. "I can't tell you."

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you tell me?"

I hugged myself tighter. "…Cause I don't want to."

"Okay. You don't have to tell me." Kurapika said. "But then tell me something else."

I looked into his eyes again.

"What are you doing here?"

I was quiet. I didn't even know. But I had a feeling that it wasn't my feet that led me here, but something…entirely different.

"Is there something you need?" he asked.

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. But I now knew exactly what I needed. Him.

I needed Kurapika.

"Come over here and get off the floor." He said, taking my hand and helping me up. He gestured to one of the beds. "Just go and sit over there and I'll be right back."

And with that, he walked back into the bathroom. I went and did what he said, feeling very awkward. (A/N: Okay I'm blushing as I'm writing this now!)

Kurapika returned to me in about five minutes, and he now had on a sleeveless gray shirt and his hair was dry.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "I think so."

He sat next to me. "Rhia…what happened?"

"I had a nightmare. That's all."

"A nightmare that sent you running over here." He said with a frown. "Rhia, I'm not stupid. I can tell when something's wrong."

'_Dang…why is he so perceptive?' _I thought. "Nothing's wrong."

I knew he didn't believe me. But he just nodded anyways and stayed silent, waiting for me to talk.

But I didn't.

Time passed, and before I knew it, I completely blacked out from lack of sleep.

THIRD PERSON P.O.V

Well, needless to say, Kurapika was rather surprised by the sudden turn of events. Rhia had suddenly fallen over, and when inspected, Kurapika found her to be sound asleep. Oh how awkward it was. He didn't know what to do as of now, and he was fighting sleep himself. His eyelids drooped, and he was trying to stay awake. He couldn't fall asleep here! Not when Rhia was already there.

But fate likes to work in ways we shall never understand.

Eventually, Kurapika couldn't fight the sleep any longer, and he let the darkness overcome him, so that he landed right next to Rhia.

As the night moved on slowly, it became noticeably colder in the room and the two unconsciously snuggled up to one another. Rhia ended up in Kurapika's protective embrace, with her head tucked under his chin.

RHIA'S P.O.V

I could feel something…a steady beat. And a warm…breeze blowing in my face. It wasn't the wind…it was much too…soft…and gentle to be the wind. And the steady beat…it felt…so calming. Wait…where exactly was I? I remember…being scared…and running to…Blondie's room. He calmed me down. He…took me in. And then I fell asleep in his bed. But…what happened after that? Wait…the steady beat…no…it couldn't be…

I slowly opened my eyes to discover what was going on.

I was wrapped in Kurapika's arms, and he was breathing on me. I had fallen asleep with him in his bed. And his arms were around me. I was _sleeping _with someone. A _guy_.

'_OH HOLY SHIT!' _I thought. But surprisingly…I didn't move. Even more surprising was that…I didn't want to. I liked this. I closed my eyes and sighed in content. Why did I enjoy this so much? Because it was with him. I'll admit it, Kurapika wasn't as bad as I made him out to be.

'_I don't want this to end. Ever. This…it's so calming. Just like him. He's always so calm…and…cool. Like…the aftermath of a thunder storm. Calm and cool. I…don't want to leave. I want to stay like this forever.' _With a jolt, I realized what I was thinking. And why I was thinking it.

'_Is it…possible? Could it be…'_ I swallowed hard and frowned at myself. _'…Am I…in love with Blondie?' _

That was it. It was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with.

I could hear the wind blowing outside, and it seemed as though a little shower had grown into a hurricane. But I wasn't scared. I snuggled closer to him as the wind howled outside. I knew for certain then.

I loved him.

Just as I was falling back asleep, the cabin door burst open. Kurapika and I sat bolt upright in shock.

"Kurapika! The air ship's-" Leorio paused mid-sentence when he saw me. A mischievous smile formed on his face. "…Oh I'm sorry…am I interrupting something?"

I was going to KILL him!

"Leorio!" Kurapika shouted, his face bright red. "You were saying?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! The air ship's leaving!" he blurted out.

Kurapika and I looked at each other and jumped out of the bed. Kurapika ran out the door, and I followed him. But I was stopped by Leorio, who was still grinning.

"So…" he said. "…You weren't doing anything…_naughty _were you?"

I actually slapped him across the face.

"Get your head out the gutter you idiot!" I yelled at him as I went the direction Kurapika had taken.

Why were they leaving us? Why now? What was going on?

I reached the deck of the battleship and stood next to Kurapika. Some other examinees had also come out, and were gazing at the retreating blimp. Gon and Killua were there too. Gon was staring up at the ship with a confused expression on his face. Killua was just flat-out-glaring at it, as if daring it to go any farther.

Like he could stop it.

"What's going on?" I asked aloud. I knew Kurapika heard me, but he chose not to answer. Probably because he didn't know himself.

Was this part of the Exam or something? But how? It wasn't like they had been protecting us or anything…

I held my head again. None of this made any sense!

I looked at Kurapika. "So…now what?"

xxXXxx

Okay! As always, please let me know what you thought of this chapter! I would really appreciate it! And…how was that one little scene? Bet you were expecting a kiss right? *giggle* Yeah, not now. But how did you like it?

Read&Review wonderful people!


	21. Forming a Plan

Oh here's the next chapter! OMG I can't believe how far this story has come! I never expected it to be this long! Well I hope you wonderful readers out there enjoy this!

Kurapika: If everyone's as excited as you are, then we have a serious problem on our hands.

Me: *frowns* Aw, suck it up Blondie.

Gon: Rhia owns nothing! Including the song!

Killua: *smirks* Especially after learning about copyright-

Me: Enough out of you and the freaking copyright!

Kurapika: Okay I think that's enough from both of you.

Me: I agree! Story time! YES!

Chapter 21: Forming a Plan…

RHIA'S P.O.V

I sighed. What was going to happen? We were left stranded on this godforsaken boat without any information on it what-so-ever!

"It's been about five hours now," Leorio said, walking to the edge of the ship. "Do you think they'll come back?"

We had all gathered together on the deck of the ship. I looked up and shaded my eyes with my hand. The sun was already blazing overhead.

"This sure is a bad way to run a hotel," Leorio continued. "I mean, what kind of managers take off and leave their guests in the middle of the night?"

"I know what you mean." Tompa said, nodding. "Who do they think they are? We paid a lot of money for our rooms."

"But we gave it to them, it's not like they robbed us." Kurapika spoke up.

"Oh really?" Tompa challenged. "They took our treasure and skipped out on us! If that's not stealing I don't know what is!"

"You've got that right." Leorio said, turning to us. "Hey Tompa, we actually agree on something."

"Oh great. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Leorio stuck his tongue out at Tompa.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh grow up you two."

"So you're talking about the treasure?" Hanzo said as he walked forward. "Actually I was just in the manager's room a minute ago…they left it all behind."

My eyes widened. "Huh?"

"So do you think they forgot it here?" Gon asked, swinging his legs off the edge of his seat.

"No of course not." Killua said, sitting next to Gon. "Why would they do that?"

Kurapika put his chin in his hand. "This leads me to believe that they had another reason for leaving when they did…"

I messed up his hair. "Yeah you keep thinking Sherlock."

He only glanced at me in annoyance.

"Do you think it's another part of the Exam?" Hanzo asked.

"I can't be sure. We simply don't have enough information to go on at this point." Kurapika mused.

We were all silent. I could tell that this was taking a toll on everyone's nerves. Except for Kurapika that is. He was still his annoyingly calm self.

Then the three brothers- the Amori Brothers- started talking.

"Hey bro, if the Examiners are gone who's going to cook for us?"

"I don't know; someone here must know how to cook."

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you."

The youngest sighed. "Great. We're stranded on this island with nothing to eat! I'll starve to death!"

I sighed. "Talk about pessimistic." I said in a bored tone.

"Why don't you three calm down." Hanzo said in a commanding tone. "If we get hungry we can always catch some fish or something." He turned to Kurapika. "We need to start working out a plan on what to do next."

I nodded. "I'm with him on this note."

Then a voice called out. "Hey come here a minute!"

I turned around and saw Ponzu, one of the only other girls in the Exam. She was waving to us.

I looked at Kurapika. "Well? Come on slowpoke!"

He blushed. "Rhia!"

I giggled as I ran away and he ran after me. I heard Tompa mumble something like "Ah, young love." I resisted the urge to knock him into next week.

xxXXxx

Ponzu led us to a radio, where Pokkle- the boy with the funny purple hat- was working on it.

"Is that thing broken?" Gon asked.

"No, the radio is still in working order." Pokkle replied.

"We're not exactly sure why," Ponzu added. "But no matter which channel we try, we still can't get a signal."

I crossed my arms. "Well that's weird."

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Leorio asked.

Pokkle continued to play with the knobs on the radio. "Well, since we can't contact anyone, it's like we've been stranded here on this island, the 37 of us, and no one else."

No one said a word for a couple minutes.

"Huh?" Gon spoke up. He looked at Killua. "Hey did you hear that strange sound just now?"

"No I didn't." Killua said.

"Really?" Gon said, more to himself than anyone.

"We shouldn't just stand around here." Hanzo said. "Let's all split up and search the ship for anything that might shed some light on this."

"That's a good idea." Kurapika said.

"Then let's go." I said, walking out the door.

"Maybe you should stay here and keep trying with the radio." Hanzo told Pokkle.

He nodded. "Yeah sure thing. I'm on it."

I was walking down the hallway when I felt someone grab my wrist.

"Oh no you don't."

I raised an eyebrow. "Blondie what are you doing?"

"You get into enough trouble on ships," he said, taking me with him. "I'm going to make sure you don't cause any mayhem."

I pouted. "Oh yeah, cause I _totally _did that on purpose."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh Rhia…always the dramatic one."

I huffed and walked faster. Although that meant that now we were walking side-by-side.

We walked into a room that had a desk and a table in it.

"This must be the manager's quarters." Kurapika said, finally releasing my wrist. We each went to a different corner of the room to look for stuff. I didn't find anything worth finding though, just a bunch of dust and other useless stuff.

I sighed and put my hands on my hips. "There's nothing in here that could help us Blondie." I said. "Come on, let's look in another room."

"Hold on Rhia." he said, holding up a hand.

I paused in stepping out the door and looked back at him. He was picking up a crumpled piece of paper and staring at it.

I walked over next to him. "What is it?"

"I think it's a map." He answered. "Come on, we have to show this to the others."

I followed him out of the room and towards everyone else.

xxXXxx

We were gathered on the ship's deck once more.

"So, who found what?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"Look at this." Leorio said, stepping forward. He was carrying a big cardboard box. We all peeked inside.

"Compasses?" Hanzo said.

"Yeah. And funny enough there's 37; one for each of us." Leorio said.

"That's interesting cause I found these measuring tools." Hanzo said, holding them up.

"I searched through the manager's quarters and found this." Kurapika said, bringing out the map.

"What's that a map of?" Gon asked in awe.

Kurapika pointed to a spot. "This here would be the Battleship Island where we are now," he explained. "And this line indicates the route to a place called Zevil Island."

"Heh." Chuckled one of the examinees. "They obviously left these things behind for us to find. It must be part of the Exam."

"They're telling us to get to Zevil Island!" said another, hitting his palm with his fist.

"Alright boys, we're going to Zevil Island!" the first one announced. "It's a good thing the ocean's calm today."

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy." Kurapika said.

"Huh?"

"With the map and compass we can determine what direction to take, but even so we can't be sure how far away it is."

"What difference does that make?" Leorio asked.

"The water does look pretty calm," Kurapika said. "And there's no sign of a storm, but if we don't know the distance to the island then we can't predict how long the journey will take or how much food we're gonna have to bring."

"Or water." I added with my arms crossed.

"All we need is the directions." The obnoxious examinee declared. "We'll just keep following it until we get there with as much food and water as we can carry. It's probably all part of the Hunter Exam."

"Why take unnecessary risks?" Kurapika said. "Have you forgotten that every phase so far has included all sorts of traps? I mean, even if this is part of the task, how do you know this map isn't one of those traps?"

"Come on, relax." Leorio said. "You can't be suspicious about every little thing. I mean I think it's pretty obvious they just want us to find our way to Zevil Island."

"I'm not that suspicious, and I'm not trying to stand in the way." Kurapika defended. "All I wanna say is that I think it would be safer to wait until nightfall so we can use the stars to chart our course as accurately as possible."

"Wait until after nightfall? You've got to be kidding!" Number 220-the obnoxious examinee-cried out.

"Hang on, I'm going to agree with Kurapika on this one." Hanzo said as he stepped forward. "We need to proceed with caution. It sure seems like this could be another thing we're going to be tested on, but it's a lot different from anything else we've had to do so far. I think we gotta all work together on this."

"I agree." I said. "What Blondie and Hanzo say makes sense to me."

"That's a bad idea." Came a voice from behind us. "Any fool can see that this is part of the Hunter Exam. And there could even be a time limit too."

"The one thing we don't need more of right now is speculation Gareta." Kurapika said, walking up to him. "Do you have any proof to back that up?"

"I found the water tank." Gareta replied. "There's hardly any drinking water left at all."

A murmur of shock went through the small crowd.

But Gareta wasn't done yet. "From what I can tell we don't have much time until we completely run out. So things are gonna get ugly if we stick around here. We came here for three days." He said, holding up three fingers. "We spent the first one scavenging for treasure. Which leaves us with two. So that means it must be possible for us to get to Zevil Island within those two days."

"Yeah you're right!" Gon cried. "That makes sense."

I frowned. I was getting a really bad feeling about this…something was…off. Just not right.

"Okay let's find us a boat!" The middle Amori brother announced.

"Alright boys, let's head for Zevil Island." Another examinee stated, leading a group of men behind him.

"Hey wait!" Hanzo cried. "If we all head out on our own, and if anything goes wrong then we're done for!"

"Feel free to stay here if you want!" They retorted.

Kurapika turned to Gareta angrily. "Why'd you go and do that? You might have put a lot of people in danger."

"Getting rid of the competition is part of the Exam." Gareta replied. "I'm gonna survive at any cost; I don't really care what happens to anyone else." Then he walked away.

"So…what are we gonna do now guys?" Gon asked.

Leorio turned to Kurapika. "Kurapika, I totally understand where you're coming from, but Gareta actually has a good point you know."

Kurapika looked agitated now. "I'm only trying to make everyone understand that we should proceed with caution."

"I know. We get it already." Leorio sighed.

"…I still think Kurapika's right." Hanzo said. "But I'm starting to doubt if it's such a good idea to wait around until after dark. In the mean time, why don't we split up again and scour the ship for anything that might help us get to the island."

"Anything's better than just waiting around." Killua said. "Hey come on Gon, let's go to that place we found."

"Yeah!" Gon cried in response as he and Killua ran off to who-knows-where.

"And what are you going to be doing?" Leorio asked Hanzo.

He sighed. "I'm going to try and talk some sense into those numbskulls. The more people we can get working together the better our chances are. Let's all meet back on the bridge if we find anything useful okay?"

"Sounds good." Kurapika said. He turned to me. "Alright Trouble come on."

"Oh so you call me 'Trouble' now?" I asked as I followed him inside the ship.

"Well you call me 'Blondie'."

I huffed. "Touché."

xxXXxx

So how was that? Oh I wonder what's going to happen next! *giggles* Sorry this took so long. Please give me some nice reviews! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! Tee hee!


	22. It's Only The Beginning

*squeals* Oh here it is! Wow this is getting good! (At least I think it is.) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far; you have my undying gratitude! If I hadn't gotten so many reviews, I doubt that I would have even continued this story.

Kurapika: *sigh* Rhia is it always going to take you this long to even _begin _a chapter?

Me: *huffs* What's it to you?

Kurapika: Well I am one of the main characters you know.

Me: And your point?

Kurapika: …

Me: …

Gon: Uh…can we get on with it now?

Killua: Nothing new. Rhia owns nothing but herself and characters you know don't belong in here. *sits back in chair* Like I said, nothing new.

Me: *face palms self*

Kurapika: Okay then…uh…can we move on now?

Me: *snaps fingers* I like the way you think Blondie! On with the story!

Chapter 22: It's Only The Beginning…

RHIA'A P.O.V

I followed Kurapika back up to where Pokkle and Ponzu were working on the radio.

As Kurapika opened the door he asked, "Any luck?"

Ponzu shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

Pokkle took the large headphones off. "Well I give up. I almost wish the storm would roll in. the change in pressure might boost the electromagnetic waves enough to reach someone. Because that's about the only thing I haven't tried yet."

"Don't even joke about a thing like that." Kurapika said. "A storm's about the last thing I want to see right now."

"Yeah all we need is for complete and utter panic to ensue and then it'll be complete…" I mumbled, walking off. Kurapika caught up to me.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

I sighed. "…I'm not to bug on the whole 'storm' thing."

"…I'm not sure I understand." He said.

"…Neither do I." I said. "I just…I'm getting that horrible feeling again…something's going to happen…I just know it is…"

"Why are you so pessimistic?" he joked.

I gave him a look to let him know I wasn't joking. "I'm serious. Remember in Trick Tower? How I had that bad feeling then too? Well it turned out to be true; I had to face the man who murdered my best friend when she was five years old."

I didn't wait for him to answer me; I just walked off again.

xxXXxx

We stood in the control room of the ship, waiting for Leorio and Hanzo to get back. I was still upset about nothing at all, and so Kurapika and I hadn't said a word since I spoke of Mariah.

Then a door opened and Hanzo came in.

"How did it go?" Kurapika asked him.

He shrugged and growled slightly.

"I take it not too well." I commented.

"Oh well. That's not a surprise." Kurapika said. "Everyone who's managed to make it this far has been through a lot already. We've all had to rely on out own strengths and skills; otherwise we never would have survived the first three phases." He looked out the window. "I can certainly understand why they're reluctant to listen to what we have to say, and expecting them to cooperate for the good of the group is clearly out of the question. I'm just worried they're making a critical error in judgment. It could end up costing them their lives."

"Well you know, I couldn't agree with you more." Hanzo said. "Even though I can't quite explain it, my ninja instincts tell me we're right. But that won't convince them; they're not going to change their minds just because of a hunch."

"Then what will?" I asked aloud. "What is there left for us to do?"

Kurapika continued his stare out the window. "…You're right about that. We've done all that we can trying to persuade them. To continue trying would only waste valuable time." He grimaced slightly. "I'm afraid that we've got to take action with or without them."

"Kurapika," Hanzo spoke up. "There's something else that's been bothering me. You can call it another one of my instincts but I have an ominous feeling about this place and it's getting stronger. We don't have much time."

Kurapika nodded. "Well whatever it is, I'm sure it's what this phase is all about."

"I don't think there's a person on this island who wouldn't agree with you Kurapika." Came Leorio's voice from the shadows. He stepped forward. "The problem is, no one's sure what to do about it. But I've got an idea about what we can do."

"Yeah? And what is that?" Hanzo asked.

"Simple." Leorio said. He looked at the two of them. "We're going to have to choose a leader." He gestured behind him and we saw that there was a group of examinees standing behind him.

Hanzo and Kurapika looked at each other and grinned.

I didn't though. Okay, great. So Leorio had convinced a couple people to stay. What now?

We took a vote that's what.

xxXXxx

"Does anyone have any objections?" Leorio asked. No one said anything.

"Alright, it's a done deal." He said, stepping aside. "Between now and the time it takes for us to reach Zevil Island, Hanzo will be the leader and Kurapika will be his second-in-command." He looked at Hanzo behind him. "Okay Hanzo, it's up to you now."

Hanzo stepped forward. "I don't want to over-step my authority, but there's something I have to tell you. As you know, I'm a ninja and when ninjas team up together there's nothing that can stop them."

I rolled my eyes. Oh God not another ninja speech…

"Where I'm from this teamwork is known as Wa." He said.

I found it hard not giggle. He was saying it so seriously and it sounded hilarious!

"And this is the kind of situation where our Wa is put to the test."

Another giggle. I noticed Kurapika giving me a look that was like, 'shut-up-Rhia-or-else', and that only made it harder not to laugh.

"This will only be for a short time so please bear with me." Hanzo concluded with a bow.

I clapped my hand over my mouth and turned around. Kurapika saw me and rolled his eyes.

Then the other examinees left to go do who-knows-what.

Suddenly, the door opened with a bang.

"Hey look at what Gon found!" Killua cried, running through. Gon was right at his heels, a huge grin on his face. He handed a leather-bound book to Kurapika, who opened it eagerly. He flipped through a couple of the pages.

"What does it say?" Hanzo asked.

Kurapika didn't answer for a moment. "…Ah, so that's what happened."

"What is it?" I asked, walking closer.

"Apparently this ship was grounded here towards the end of the war so it could be used as a gun battery. This log book was written by the commanding officer at the time."

He sounded in awe to me. I rolled my eyes. Finally. I'd found a bigger history nerd than myself.

"That's interesting," Hanzo said. "But do you see anything about Zevil Island in there?"

He didn't sound as fascinated as Kurapika, which brought a smirk to my face.

Kurapika flipped through the book again. "Here it is!" he said, pointing to the page. "According to the log book it's close! We can probably make it within a day with just a small boat."

"Alright!" Gon and Killua cried, high-fiving.

"Great! We'd better go get ready." Hanzo said. But our plans were interrupted.

"Ponzu here," came the girl's voice over the speaker thing. "We're picking up something on the radio."

She sounded…panicked.

"There's noise across a wide frequency range."

"The atmospheric pressure must be changing." Pokkle said.

We all ran to the window. It looked…unnervingly calm.

"Hey look at the birds!" Gon said. "Something's spooked them."

Sure enough, all of the gulls outside were freaking out. They were scattering in every direction; one even ran into the window in front of Leorio, causing him to jump back a few inches.

Kurapika's facial expression grew dark. "…This is bad." He said in a monotone voice.

I suddenly got a knot in my stomach. It was fear…a cold, icy fear…I hadn't felt this fear in a long time…ten years to be exact…

My eyes widened in disbelief and horror. I tugged at Kurapika's sleeve.

"What is it?" he asked when he saw my frightened expression. But I didn't get to tell him right away.

"What the Hell is that?" Leorio cried, pointing out at the window.

At first glance…it looked like there were two suns, one right on top of the other.

"The atmosphere…it's distorting." Kurapika said in a rather choked voice.

This felt…familiar. Not the scene…but the words. The words I was hearing, I'd heard them before! But where?

And with that, the sun slowly sank below the horizon. The feeling of icy fear grew stronger…and now it was accompanied by sounds…crashing waves…monstrous waves to be exact.

"Hey…I can hear that sound again." Gon said.

"What?" Killua asked.

"Blondie, check the log book." I said quietly.

"What?"

"Please check it." I looked out the window. "…I feel like…I know what's going to happen…"

Kurapika nodded and picked up the log book.

"That noise is coming from somewhere out at sea!" Gon cried, pressing his face to the window.

"I can hear it now!" Killua said. "But it's very faint; you were right Gon, I hear it!"

"…It's become a lot stronger since this morning." Gon said in a serious voice.

I felt Kurapika stiffen at my side. "The entry for July 4th: Strange atmospheric disturbance. As soon as it was detected, we began preparations to evacuate. Tomorrow morning at first light the entire garrison will abandon this post, it's our only option. Predications indicate the first storm front will hit the island at dusk tomorrow. Before it does…" he trialed off and looked up at me.

"First storm front?" Leorio asked aloud. "What does that mean?"

Kurapika didn't stop looking at me. "…This environmental phenomenon only occurs once every ten years."

Before we could say anything, the sound of a motor was heard. Kurapika whipped his head around to the window, and we could see that a boat and a hot-air balloon were leaving the battleship.

I ran to the window. "What are they completely stupid? This storm is going to kill them!"

"Rhia, calm down." Kurapika said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"…I can't help it." I retorted. Then I saw something outside and my eyes grew wide. "Oh shit!" I yelled as I shook myself from Kurapika's grasp and ran outside. I heard him call after me and then I could tell that everyone was following me.

There was a water spout forming not far from where the battleship was. And it was getting bigger and bigger with every passing second.

"Rhia!" Kurapika yelled when he got on the deck.

"What the Hell is that?" Hanzo yelled.

"A water spout!" I answered. "…I've heard it before…" I closed my eyes…and then it all came back to me.

This was the storm ten years ago that had shipwrecked me…the storm that gave me sight.

"It seems that the environmental phenomenon mentioned in the log book has just begun." Kurapika said, his tone dark one more.

"Oh no, look!" Gon cried. "That ship is getting pulled into it!" he was pointing at a boat full of examinees. "We've gotta help them!"

Gon tried to run forward, but Kurapika stopped him. "Don't do it!"

"Yeah, but-"

"It's too late, there's nothing we can do!" Kurapika yelled above the loud wind. He grimaced out at the water. He looked panicked.

As we heard the distant screams, I turned and hugged Kurapika. He put his arms around me, keeping me close. For a moment, despite the intense storm…I felt safe.

Then one of the examinees, the one with the monkey, cried out. "Oh no! Gareta!"

We looked and saw Gareta in a small motor boat, heading for his death. He couldn't control the boat; the waves were taking him to the water spout!

Suddenly, Gon darted from the deck and leaped into the water!

"Gon!" Kurapika shouted. Now I had to hold _him _back. Then I nearly slipped, almost taking Kurapika with me.

"The waves are washing over the deck!" he cried.

"Everyone, back inside!" Hanzo yelled.

"Hanzo, quick, the life boat!" Kurapika shouted. He looked at me. "Rhia, go inside!"

"Hell if I will!" I shouted back at him. "I survived this storm ten years ago; I think I can do it again!"

"I'm not taking any chances!" he yelled back. "Get inside!" he tried to shove me towards the door, but then another wave washed up and we both slipped and fell to the deck. I wasn't about to let him get washed over board! But…well, unfortunately for me, Mother Nature seems to hate me.

We were attempting to stand up when it happened. A particularly nasty wave came up and knocked me off my feet. I didn't have time to scream as I was washed over to the other side of the deck. I grabbed onto the railing for dear life. My knuckles were white from my grip. And the sea water made it difficult.

I coughed a couple times. "BLONDIE!" I screamed. I could just hear him above the roar of the waves. I could barely see him. He wouldn't be able to get to me fast enough. Thankfully, someone else did.

Leorio came out of nowhere just as my grip failed. He grasped my hand and pulled me up. I'd never noticed how strong he was before, but I did now.

"You okay Rhia?" he asked, the usual grin on his face.

I nodded. "I-I'm fine."

"Rhia!" Kurapika yelled, reaching us. "Rhia, Leorio, we have to help pull the life boat to shore! Hurry!"

"Right!" Leorio and I said at the same time. We both ran over and grabbed the rope with the rest of the examinees. Thanks to our combined efforts, we were able to pull both boats back to the ship. I reached down and helped both Gon and Killua up and then before I could say a word, Kurapika grabbed my hand and ran with me back to the ship. He didn't say anything, but I got the feeling that he was mad at me for not listening to him. But now…I was scared.

We all sat in the control room of the ship, waiting for the storm to pass. The winds were so powerful that the awnings that hung from the ship were ripped off. The ship creaked loudly, and I found myself once again burying my face in Kurapika's chest. He held me close and no one said a word. I just needed some form of comfort. And he had comforted me before.

"…All we can do is wait and hope for the best…" Hanzo said.

xxXXxx

I don't know how long it was until the storm actually ended, but when it did, it was still as black as sin out. The clouds slowly cleared away and the stars came out, twinkling in the darkness.

The ship was flooded. I was instantly glad that I had thought to bring my bag and sword up with me. At the moment, we were standing outside, practically at the top of the boat.

"Hey look, I think the tide's going out." Leorio said.

Tompa sighed. "It's finally over."

"I'm afraid it's just begun." Kurapika said. He still held the log book in his hand. "We can expect a second storm in 24 hours, and this time it's gonna be worse." He looked up at the topmost part of the ship, and to my shock, I saw barnacles. My eyes widened.

"…Oh no…" I muttered.

"Wait, are you saying the water's going to get that high?" Leorio blurted out.

"No." Kurapika said. He stared out over the horizon, his face impassive. But I saw the slight look of panic and fear in his green eyes. "24 hours from now…everything you see…will be underwater."

xxXXxx

I'M SO SORRY THAT I TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE! GAH! *sigh* But I had exams and other crap that I needed to do first, and well…I simply couldn't find the time. I hope you liked this one though!

By the way, I won't update this story until I have at least ten more reviews. Come on people! Please review my story! *pleading face*


	23. Helpful Items

Me: *nervous face* …Heh heh…heh…can you guys ever forgive me for the super late update? *hides face* UGH! I'm so ashamed!

Killua: You should be; do you know just how long it's been since you updated?

Gon: Killua, that's not very nice!

Me: *hiding under bed*

Kurapika: *rolls eyes* Since someone seems incapable of doing the disclaimer-

Leorio: I'LL DO IT!

Kurapika: *blinks* …Apparently Leorio will do the disclaimer…

Leorio: Rhia does not own any of the characters except her own; nor does she own HunterxHunter.

Me: *still hiding*

Kurapika: …*sweat-drop* Okay…uh…here's the long over-due chapter.

Chapter 23: Helpful Items

RHIA'S P.O.V

When the water finally went down, we were all standing on the deck of the ship. The sky and sea looked relatively calm at the moment. I stood next to Kurapika, both of my hands grasping the railing.

Then Leorio said what none of us could bring ourselves to mention.

"…We have less than twenty hours until another storm front hits us."

Kurapika looked at him. "Which means we have that amount of time to put together a plan of action."

Hanzo nodded. "Yeah…or we're all as good as dead."

Way to be optimistic…

"And on top of that, we still have to get to Zevil Island somehow." Kurapika added.

"Yeah, we know that." Leorio said. "But how are we supposed to do that?"

"There's no escape…" Gareta mumbled. "Not by air, or across the water."

I sighed and looked at Kurapika. "Remind me why we just can't use a boat while the storm _isn't _hitting us?"

"We don't have one that's big enough Rhia." he replied.

"Oh yes we do!" cried a voice from above.

We all looked up to the tallest part of the boat and saw none other than Gon and Killua.

"Gon?" Kurapika said.

I eyed him. "Are you really that surprised that he's up there? Come on Blondie, it's Gon; where else would he be?"

"Shut up…" he mumbled.

Gon was waving wildly at us. "Why don't we use this ship right here?"

I blinked. "What? What ship?"

"The ship you're standing on." Tompa remarked with a smirk.

I glared at him and huffed, but said nothing. The last thing I needed to do was get into a fight. Kurapika would never forgive me for that.

And speaking of the Kurta, he was looking up at Gon as if he'd just heard the most profound statement ever uttered emerge from the boy's mouth.

"Gon, don't be such an idiot!" Leorio yelled. "This is nothing but a pile of scrap metal!"

"Yeesh, take it easy Leorio…" I mumbled, watching him out of the corner of my eye. I looked at Kurapika. "Well, what have we got to lose?"

"…Aside from everything, not much…" he mumbled under his breath.

xxXXxx

"The engine still works?" Kurapika asked aloud as we all stood around the controls.

"But do you think this ship is actually capable of moving?" Leorio asked aloud to no one in particular.

Killua turned to him. "I don't know; but it's worth a shot."

Kurapika rested his chin in his hand. "Yeah…this actually might work. But since the ship is grounded, we'll have to make it buoyant enough to break free."

We all nodded in agreement.

Ponzu stepped forward. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Well that's a different way of putting it…" Hanzo said. "Instead of abandoning ship, we're going to be taking the ship with us…I like it. I'm sure this is the primary objective of this phase."

Kurapika looked out the window. "Our only problem now is whether or not we can get all the work done before the second front arrives." He turned to the rest of us. "The first thing we need to do is assess the condition of the ship. Let's all spread out and report back here in one hour."

Everyone murmured in agreement and I was about to walk out when Kurapika called my name.

"Rhia, I'd like you to stick with me."

I rolled my eyes. Oh my God…

"What could I have possibly done this time?" I groaned, turning back to him.

He frowned. "Is it that bad to be around me?"

I blushed for some obscene reason. "That's not what I meant at all!"

He sighed. "Either way, come on. We need to look around the ship."

"Okay…" I sighed, walking behind him.

xxXXxx

"You found the ship's blueprints?" Leorio said to Hanzo, who was spreading out the said blueprints on the floor of the control room.

"Yeah, and the manual too." Hanzo replied.

"Okay, now that we have these, let's think." Kurapika said, putting his chin in his hand.

I groaned inwardly. Good grief, just how long was this going to take? We didn't exactly have all the time in the world…

"Hm…by looking at the ship's blueprints, and seeing how the ship is stuck in the cliff side," Kurapika said, pointing to the blue paper. "If we weaken the rock, we should be able to free the ship."

"And how, pray tell are we going to do that?" I asked in a bored voice. "I'm no geologist or anything, but have you seen that cliff? We won't be able to chip away at it with a pickaxe. Not with the time we have anyway."

He rolled his eyes. "No, we won't have to use a pickaxe."

"Then how will we do it?" Gon asked.

"We could use the guns." Hanzo suggested. "They're on turrets, so we could turn them to face the cliff."

"What about ammo?" I asked.

"I think I saw some shells when I was looking around earlier." Leorio said. "They were way too big to be for anything else."

"Okay," Kurapika said, a slight smile on his face. "This actually could work."

I raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you doubted your own plan?"

He ignored me however, and continued to point to various parts of the ship on the blueprints. I rolled my eyes.

"What about the hull?" one of the examinees asked, raising his hand. "The ship will tip if the water isn't evened out throughout the bottom."

"How about using explosives?" suggested another examinee, who walked up to us.

"And uh, who are you?" Hanzo asked with an almost skeptical expression.

"The name's Cue," he said, pointing to himself. "Demolition's my specialty."

"Oh goody…" I mumbled.

"There's plenty of things to make explosives around here, just leave it to me." He said.

In my opinion, the guy was pretty full of himself. Then I thought of something.

"Wait, what about the propellers?" I asked, gaining everyone's attention.

"What about them?" Hanzo asked.

"I personally haven't seen what they look like, but considering the fact that the ship's been here for roughly ten years without moving, those propellers are either completely gone or covered in seaweed."

"Killua and I can check them out!" Gon volunteered happily. "Right Killua?"

The silver-haired boy made a face. "Wha? Sounds like a lot of work to me…"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Gon argued.

"Oh…okay…"

"Now that that's settled," Kurapika said, with a smile. "Let's put our plan into action."

And so it began…

xxXXxx

PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Oh I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever, and I'm so sorry that this chapter is so short and I'm so sorry that the chapter title is awful! I'm so sorry!

Please review, and I'm so sorry if this chapter is incorrect; I decided that it had been way too long since I updated, and so I wrote up the rest of this chapter from memory during school. (Yes, I know. I'm so bad. X3)


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